


To Be, Or Not

by ladstars



Category: Women's Soccer RPF
Genre: AU, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-06
Updated: 2016-06-26
Packaged: 2018-05-04 23:29:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 23
Words: 119,486
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5352419
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ladstars/pseuds/ladstars
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU In a time of kingdoms, castles, servants, of kings and queens, royalty. Erin is picked up by the King and brought to the castle to be one of the servants. Erin has a few secrets that she has to hide from everyone around her except for maybe one person.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So this came about from a dream that i had about a month ago. Which was crazy enough and got me to thinking and it turned into a full-blown story in my head. I have it mostly all planned out. Which is even crazier. This is just the first installment - a sort of introduction. And if this gets a good enough reception I'll continue with it.

** Chapter 1 **

 

The early morning air is damp. The cobblestone underneath is cold. The dingy black pants and worn blue long sleeve shirt don’t do much to keep the chill away. The village in the Northern part of the Kingdom is still asleep. There aren’t any residents out and about yet. Some might say it’s a peaceful morning.

The sounds of hooves clapping on the cobblestone alert her that someone is approaching. She ducks her chin to her chest to hide as much of her face as possible. Pulling the hat on top of her head down to cover her eyes. She hopes to go unnoticed.

 “Stop the carriage.” A man shouts into the still air. The horse hooves, clapping against the cobblestone, come to a halt.

The carriage door swings open and a man pokes his head out. “Hey, you.” The man yells to the person against the building. “Hey, you, boy.” He thumps his cane against the side of the carriage.

She looks up to see the King peering out of his carriage and then looks down at her pants again. The pants and shirt that have her looking like a boy. That was the intention, afterall, but it still catches her off guard when someone addresses her as a boy.

Now that King William has the _boy’s_ attention, he continues. “Why are you sleeping in the street?” The King questions as she slumps against the building.

She knows she has to respond to the King when he asks a question. Those are the rules. “I’m an orphan.” Is the simple answer. In reality, it’s far more complicated than that.

“How old are you?” The King asks next.

She pauses before responding. “Fifteen, Your Majesty.” It’s a lie. It’s a lie that she has to tell. Along with lying about her sex. If she tells the King her true age along with the fact that he thinks she’s a boy; she will be placed in the King’s Army.

King William puts his hand to his chin. He rubs it between his fingers and thumb. With a question in his eyes he looks back into the carriage where his wife sits. “Alright.” The Queen sighs.

The King looks back to the street. “Come here, son.” He motions for the _boy_ to come towards the carriage. “Oh, you’re so skinny. You poor thing. How long have you been living on the streets?”

She ducks her head in shame. “A few months, Sir.”

“Alright, then. Get inside.” The King motions for her to enter the carriage. She steps up onto the step and into the carriage. It’s dark at first until her eyes adjust to the dim light inside the carriage. Next to King William sits his Queen, Anne. “Well, sit down boy so we can get going.” The King smiles at her.

She is in awe of the King and Queen. Of just being in their presence. It’s not every day that a commoner gets to ride in the King and Queen’s carriage. She sits down gently. She doesn’t want to disturb anything. Not that there is much to disturb inside the small carriage. There’s barely enough room for four people, much less anything else.

“Charles, you may continue on your route back to the castle.” The King shouts to the carriage driver.

The word castle catches in her ears. She’s going to the castle. She’s both terrified and thrilled. She knows that this is crazy and that everything is happening so fast but she also knows that this is the best option if she wants to survive.

After a few minutes of riding in silence the King clears his throat to speak. “By the way, what’s your name, boy?”

She swallows thickly. It’s the perfect name. And technically, it’s not a lie. It is her given name but- “Erin.” She says. While Erin is her name, when dressed as a boy it’s _Aaron._ It’s perfect. It works. _Aaron_ works almost better than if she would choose a different male name for her secret identity.

“It’s nice to have you join us, Aaron.” The Queen says with a pleasant smile.

* * *

 

The journey to the castle takes a few hours. The ride goes by mostly in silence. Erin doesn’t know what one would discuss with the King and Queen so she stays silent. The King and Queen don’t say much to each other either. Probably because Erin is in their presence.

There’s a knock against the front wall of the carriage as they make a right turn. “We’re home.” The Queen announces. Erin turns to look out the small window on the carriage door. All she sees is tree after tree lining the path that they are traveling.

“I will talk with someone and we will get you some clean clothes and something to eat.” King William addresses her again.

Erin nods. There’s only one thing that she can think to say. One thing she’s been wanting to say since very early in their carriage ride together. “Thank you.” The King nods with a smile.

The carriage stops. And the door is pulled open from the outside. “Don’t thank us, dear.” The Queen pats Erin on the knee as she exits the carriage followed closely by the King. Erin takes a deep breath and pushes off of the small wooden seat.

Outside the carriage stands the front entrance of a gigantic castle. It’s bigger than Erin could have ever imagined. Her parents would tell her stories about the King and Queen and the castle that they lived in when she was little. But in her wildest dream she never could have imagined the castle was actually as huge as it is.

“It looks bigger from the outside than it actually is.” A male in brown pants, a white long sleeve shirt with a brown vest over it, and a cap on his head whispers to her. “Boy, your eyes are as big as dinner saucers.” He jokes from her side. Erin just nods and looks around at everything that’s in front of her.

The King is feverously talking to another man that is dressed just like the one to her right side. The castle with its huge front doors. The all stone building with it’s perfectly placed trees and landscaping. The trees that Erin saw in the carriage window line the length of the drive all the way up to the castle. The drive circles around a fountain in front of the castle.

The man the King was talking to appears in front of Erin. “Follow me, please.” She does as she’s told and follows the man up the giant marble staircase and into the front doors of the castle. She looks around at her surroundings as they walk deeper into the castle. They go through a door and enter into a kitchen. At the back of the kitchen is another door. This door leads to a set of stairs. They take the stairs down in silence. At the bottom of the stairs is a very large room. At the front of the room, closest to the stairs are half a dozen long tables with benches that look like they could seat eight to ten people at a time. Behind the benches are canvas cots. Rows and rows of them. On either side of the large room are two wash areas.

“This is our living quarters.” The man says to her. “This will be your cot.” He points to a cot in the second row. “I will get you some clothes. You will wear them every day. Except for your day off. Which I don’t know which day that will be yet. But you will be designated one day of the week off. It will be the same day every week. You will work the other six days.” Erin follows the man across the room. He reaches for a shelf above the sink. “Here’s your outfit. Brown pants. White shirt. Brown vest. And a cap for your head.” He holds the clothes out for Erin to take. She does with a nod. All this new information is a little overwhelming, but she tries her best to remember everything he is saying.

“Now. You will wash your work outfit on your day off. That is a requirement.” He points a finger at her. “And don’t wear it on your day off. Got it?”

“Yes, sir.” Erin nods.

“Don’t call me sir. My name is Thomas.” The man tells her sternly.

“Okay, sorry, Thomas.” She mumbles.

“I’ll let you change. I’ll be up in the kitchen when you are finished. You can put your things on or under your cot. I suggest you wash what you’re wear as soon as you get a chance, cuz boy, you stink. Where did they find you? The garbage heap?” Thomas makes a disgusted face.

“No, I-“

Thomas holds a hand up to stop her. “You will be with me today, Aaron. At least until we find out what your work detail will be.”

“Okay.” Erin nods.

“Change.” Thomas says as he leaves. “We will go over the castle rules once you’re done.”

Erin looks around the room once Thomas leaves. The room that will be her new home. It’s a scary thing. But she remembers that she didn’t really have any other options. It was either this or possibly starve to death in a matter of weeks. The clothes in her hands are a heavy reminder of what she’s supposed to be doing. Thankful that there’s no one else around, she changes her clothes freely. She doesn’t want anyone finding out her secret. Especially not on her first day at the castle.

Once changed, she stores her old clothes under her cot and hurries off to find Thomas.

He’s where he promised he would be. In the kitchen, stirring something in a big pot. “Sit down at the counter. Eat.” At the counter in the middle of the large kitchen- everything in the castle seems to be large to Erin- is a bowl with a thick soup-like substance in it with a piece of bread that sits on the counter next to the bowl. “You’re all skin and bones. I don’t know your story. Nor do I have time to learn it right now. I don’t want to be rude but I have lots to do. But you need to eat to keep your energy up if you are gonna be working all day.”

Erin eats her soup as Thomas goes over the castle rules for all the servants while he prepares lunch for the King and Queen.

After lunch is finished and all the cleanup is done Thomas takes Erin down to the stables. “These are the horses.  I don’t know how many there are but the King, Queen, and Princess all have their own. Then there’s all the other horses for the guards and such.”

“The Princess?” Erin asks. She knows that there’s a princess. The people of the kingdom were thrilled when they heard news that the King and Queen were expecting a child many years ago. She was very young herself when the princess was born but remembers the excitement in the kingdom about the newest addition to the Royal Family.

“Yes, the Princess. Now let’s move on. I have much to show you before we start on making dinner.” Thomas walks quickly out of the stables and Erin struggles to keep up with him as he goes.

The tour of the castle was brief but they covered just about every area on the property and every room in the castle. Except for one area of the castle that Thomas said they weren’t allowed in. That’s unless it was an emergency or you are assigned to that area. Thomas told Erin she wasn’t allowed in the wing. It  held the bedrooms of the King, Queen, and Princess.

“Let’s get back to the kitchen.” Thomas walks them through the large hall at the entrance of castle. Erin is following closely behind him when she hears two voices, two female voices. Thomas doesn’t think anything of it and keeps walking. When the two voices step into the hall to reveal themselves Erin stops dead in her tracks.

One female is dressed in a similar outfit to hers except it’s a female version. A brown floor length skirt, a white blouse, and a brown vest over the top. Nothing on the top of her head though. The guys all wear caps but the ladies just wear their hair pulled back into a low ponytail. The other person is the Princess. She’s wearing her usual dark green dress with purple accents. Her blonde hair flows over her one shoulder.

“Good afternoon, Princess.” Thomas greets as they approach. “This is-“  He turns to his right were Erin was following beside him, but she is no longer there. “Get over here, boy.” Thomas waves Erin over.

Erin gets herself together enough to make the few steps to the group in front of her. The Princess is in front of her. She’s meeting the Princess and can’t believe it.

“This is the castle’s newest servant, Princess.” Thomas introduces Erin. “His name is Aaron.”

The Princess squints her eyes at the boy, judging him. “Does he speak?” The Princess asks.

Thomas nods. “Yes.”

All three of them look at Erin to speak. She swallows hard. “It’s very nice to meet you, Princess.” And bows before the Princess.

The female servant with the blonde curly hair that is with the Princess laughs openly. Thomas quickly elbows Erin in the side. She stands up straight again, her face growing red with heat. They’re all looking at her, waiting for something to happen next. Erin checks the Princess’s face. She’s looking at Erin with the blankest expression like the Princess doesn’t even know what to think.

“Let’s go.” The servant taps the Princess on the left elbow and they walk off.

Thomas shakes his head and sighs in disbelief. “We don’t bow around here.” He tells Erin.

“Oh.” Erin thinks for a minute. “But the people of-“ Erin starts to say but Thomas cuts her off.

“We’re _not_ the people. If we stopped to bow for the king, queen, princess, or any other royal around here, we wouldn’t get anything done. Speaking of- let’s go. I’m needed in the kitchen to prepare for dinner.” He points to Erin. “And you will be helping me this time, not just sitting around.”

* * *

 

After dinner and after Erin has helped Thomas clean up the kitchen he lets Erin go for the day. “That’s about it for today. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Thomas tells her.

“Okay.” Erin nods, not sure what else to do or say. She goes down the back stairs to the servant’s quarters. The room is larger than any room she’s ever seen. It seems to go on forever. Erin’s walking over to her cot, not paying attention to anything in particular when she runs into the servant that she saw with the princess earlier in the day.

“Hey, boy.” It’s more like the princess’s personal servant calls Erin out actually. The girl with the unruly curly blonde hair raising her voice. Erin looks around and then points to herself. “Yeah, you. You dense beanstalk.” The servant rolls her eyes. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a servant bow to the princess before. I couldn’t help but laugh.” The servant smirks at Erin. “And our poor princess. She was so dumbfounded. Didn’t know what to do.” The servant chuckles some more at Erin’s expense.

“Sorry.” Erin mumbles looking down at her feet. This makes the servant laugh even harder. Erin frowns and starts turning down her blanket to get into her cot. It’ll be nice to sleep on something other than the hard, lumpy ground.

The servant that was laughing at her comes closer and holds out her hand. “My name’s Carm, by the way.” Erin raises an eyebrow at the girl. Carm nods. “Yeah, well, it’s Carmelina but everyone calls me Carm.” She jiggles her hand in front of Erin.

“Oh.” Erin looks down at the hand before taking a hold of it to shake.

“Strong grip.” Carm comments with a sneaky smile. Erin pulls her hand away quickly. Carm laughs and walks away. Erin watches the girl as she goes over to a cot a few rows away and sits down.

Erin does similar. She sits down on the cot before swinging her legs up onto it and laying down. Erin sighs as she closes her eyes. Her new life is gonna be challenging. But, at least she has a place to stay and food to eat on a regular basis. For those things she is thankful.

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning Erin wakes up in a panic. She doesn’t recognize anything. She doesn’t know where she is. There was a bell that chimed three times. Erin sits up in her bed and realizes where she is when she sees the curly haired blonde from the day before. Carm walks towards Erin’s cot as she tries to get her bearings about herself. It’s early. Really early. It’s probably still dark outside but Erin doesn’t know for sure because there are no windows down here.

“Hey you. Got your marching orders yet?” Carm asks. Erin’s eyes go wide at the words marching orders. She doesn’t want anything to do with the army. That’s why she’s in this position. She shakes her head back and forth rapidly. “Woah. Don’t do that?” Carm holds her hands out in front of herself. “You look like you might explode. I just meant do you know what your servant’s assignment is? Like, which duties will you be preforming around here.” Carm explains for her.

Erin shakes her head, less violently this time. “No.”

“Okay. I was just wondering where you will be so I know. I wouldn’t want to run into you with the princess and have another bowing incident. Just trying to look out for ya, buddy.” Carm laughs and slaps Erin on the shoulder.

“Aaron.” Thomas yells out over the chatter of all the servants in the room that are getting ready their day.

“Over here.” Carm yells and waves her hand in the air.

Thomas makes his way over to them. “Aaron, I don’t have your orders yet. I don’t know what the delay is. Usually when a new servant comes in they have their working orders within a day.” Erin nods at this new information.

Carm raises her hand. “May I make a suggestion?” Erin narrows her eyes at the girl. She doesn’t really know what to make of Carm. She clearly likes to make fun of her but Erin doesn’t know if it’s malicious or not.

Carm continues on when she doesn’t get a response from Erin or Thomas. “Get Aaron here a job where he works with his hands. Boy may be super skinny but he’s got a strong grip. Working in the stables, or the gardens, or repairman. Are you good with tools?” Carm looks to Erin for a response.

Erin narrows her eyes at Carm. They stare at each other for a few seconds before Thomas speaks up. “Carm, you know it’s not up to me.” Carm unlocks her eyes from Erin’s

“Yeah. Yeah. I know.” Carm says.

“Enough chit-chat.” Thomas points to Erin. “You’ll be with me again today. Or at least until your orders come down.” Thomas informs Erin and turns on his heels. “But first, breakfast.” Erin brightens at the thought of breakfast and follows Thomas to the breakfast line. Carm tags along at Erin’s side.

* * *

 

Erin and Carm sit next to each other at the table. Thomas sits opposite them. They eat mostly in silence. The room buzzes with early morning conversation but it never gets very loud. Erin looks around in between spoonfuls of her breakfast. She watches as people mingle with one another and go about their mornings. She ate her meal appreciating the food that she’s receiving. It’s the first time in a very long time that Erin has had three meals in the span of a day.

Carm finishes her breakfast first and gets up from the bench they are sitting on. “Now if you see the princess today try not to make an idiot out of yourself.” Carm addresses Erin. “Have a good day with this one, Thomas.” Carm raises an eyebrow in Erin’s direction. “The princess awaits.” She winks and spins around to leave.

Thomas quirks an eyebrow towards Erin. “What was that about?” He asks.

Erin shrugs. “I don’t know.” She says into her bowl. Erin wishes she understood Carm better. She’s not sure if she’s joking or if she’s serious most of the time. Mostly, Erin thinks Carm is making fun of her.

After they are finished with breakfast Thomas leads Erin to the kitchen. He starts making breakfast for the king, queen, and princess. Thomas has Erin help him cut fruits and vegetables for the meal. When it’s all prepared the personal servants for the king and queen, along with Carm, come into the kitchen to retrieve the food. The first servant, a short male with brown hair, Erin assumes is the king’s personal servant. The second, a tall woman with black hair, that she figures is the queen’s servant. Carm follows the two to get her tray for the princess. Erin watches as they move about the kitchen. Carm catches Erin’s eye but they don’t exchange words, just looks.

* * *

 

After breakfast is served Thomas starts cleaning the kitchen. He makes Erin swipe the floor. He has his kitchen assistant start washing the dirty pots and pans. Thomas takes inventory of everything they have in the panty, and in the food storage area between breakfast and the time to start preparing lunch. They make and serve lunch much like they did with breakfast. Erin mostly just does as Thomas asks and stays out of the way the rest of the time.

“Okay, Aaron, we are going to the market.” Thomas informs Erin who had been sifting flour. “You can finish that when we get back.” Thomas walks off, out of the kitchen. Erin gets to her feet and runs after Thomas to catch up before she loses him. She doesn’t know her way around the castle very well yet and has no clue where he is headed right now. Erin doesn’t know what ‘going to the market’ means.

Erin follows Thomas out to the front of the castle where a carriage is waiting for them. They get in and are off. Erin’s never been to the market before and she’s anxious to see what it’s like.

* * *

 

The market was a whirlwind but they have returned. It’s late in the day. Just before dinner. The carriage rolls up the castle’s drive. Erin watches out the window. She sees the row of trees that line the driveway just the same as the day before. Something else catches her eyes as they get closer to the castle itself. Two horses out in the corral near the stables. Two horses with two people atop them.

“Wow.” Erin whispers.

“What?” Thomas asks.

Erin flinches. She didn’t realize she’d said anything out loud. “The princess knows how to ride a horse?” She asks, in awe, never taking her eyes from the scene taking place outside the carriage.

Thomas laughs. “Do you know nothing, boy?” He chuckles. “Of course the princess rides horse. It’s sort of a requirement.”

Erin nods absentmindedly. She’s more in awe that she is seeing the princess again than that the princess knows how to ride a horse. Erin still can’t believe that she is in the same castle as a king and queen and princess. Or that she has the opportunity to see them in their day to day activities. It amazes her just to see the princess. She’s not sure why because she didn’t get that feeling when she saw the king and queen. Erin was nervous, sure, when she was riding in the carriage with them, but seeing the princess is an entirely different feeling. And she’s not even in close quarters with her.

The carriage rolls up to the castle doors and out of view of the two on horseback. It comes to a halt at the front. Thomas steps out of the carriage and retrieves a big sack of items they got from the market. “Get the other sack, Aaron.” Thomas instructs. Already ascending the castle steps when Erin exits the carriage.

Thomas’s assistant has already started on dinner when they return to the kitchen. Erin works on putting all the items they bought at the market where they belong and Thomas gets the meal together for the royal family. Erin finishes putting everything away and finishes sifting flour before Thomas lets her go eat her own dinner.

* * *

 

Dinner doesn’t consist of anything fancy or exciting. All the meals that Erin has eaten at the castle have been the same. The servants all get a bowl of soup from a very large pot that is in the kitchen and they all get a chunk of bread. Erin is sitting on a bench at one of the tables in the servant’s quarters when someone sits next to her.

Erin looks over to see blonde curly hair and a goofy smirk looking back at her. “Hey, buddy. How was your day?” Carm asks eagerly.

Erin pauses. Holding her spoonful of soup in mid-air. “Why do you keep talking to me?” Erin asks Carm. She would really like to know. She doesn’t find herself interesting enough to have a conversation with. She wants to know why Carm keeps coming up to her.

Carm shrugs. “Cuz- we’re about the same age, I figure.” Carm’s answer is simple and it makes enough sense to Erin. “Plus-“ Carm takes a bite of her bread. “-not too many people want to be around me.” She adds sadly.

Erin wrinkles her brow. She wasn’t expecting that response. “Why?”

Carm sighs and locks eyes with Erin. “Cuz I’m the princess’s personal servant.” Carm tells Erin as if that explains everything. And in some ways it does.

“Oh.” Erin mumbles. Carm looks away and focuses on her meal. They eat the remainder of their meals in silence. Carm eats fast. Faster than anyone Erin has ever seen. She eats and is gone. Erin wonders if Carm eats all her meals with such speed or if it was just this meal. Which leads to wondering if she said or didn’t something wrong that would make Carm eat faster so she could leave faster.

Erin returns to the kitchen and finds Thomas. “What can I help with?” Erin asks him. She’s getting used to this whole work situation. The servants spend most of their days working to keep the castle running on a schedule. Certain things get done at certain times.

“Ah, Aaron.” Thomas claps his hands together. “I have good news and bad news. Well, bad news for me, I guess.” Erin narrows her eyes at him, not following what he is talking about. “I have your work assignment. That’s the bad news. I lose your assistance. And I guess it’s the good news for you. No more kitchen duty. Though, I don’t know if you’ll like your new job. Not that it matters. It’s your assignment and it’s final.” Thomas is just thinking out loud at this point. “Now, you will be doing one more thing for me today.”

“Okay.” Erin just wants to know what her assignment is.

“You will be working with Benjamin. He will find you in the morning.” Thomas tells her. He gets a cup and a kettle and puts them on a tray. “Enough about that. Here.” Thomas holds the tray out towards Erin. Erin looks down at the tray, then back up to Thomas. “Bring this up to the princess’s room.” Thomas says and Erin gulps hard. “You remember where that is, right?” Erin nods with wide eyes. “Good. Just knock on the door and Carm will answer.”

Erin looks down at the tray again. It seems like a daunting task to her. “Why didn’t Carm just take the tray with her?” Erin dares to ask. It’s not that she’s trying to get out of the work, but wouldn’t it have been easier for Carm to bring the tray with her when she went to the princess’s room.

Thomas shrugs. “I don’t know.” He gestures for Erin to take the tray from his hands, which she does. “She usually takes tea to the princess after dinner. I don’t know why she didn’t tonight.” Erin nods at his explanation, or lack of. “Now go. Before it gets cold.” Thomas rushes Erin out of the kitchen.

Erin slowly walks away from the kitchen with the tray in her hands. She nervously walks through the castle. Her hands sweating. The tray slipping. Erin keeps readjusting the tray so she doesn’t drop it. Erin takes the marble stairs to the second floor of the castle. She rounds the corner at the top of the stairs and heads down the hallway that the bedrooms on located on.

Erin gets to the room and knocks on the door like Thomas told her to. She stands in front of it with the tray and waits for Carm to answer.

The door opens slowly. Erin gasps. It’s not Carm that opened the door, it’s the princess. Erin grips the tray extra tight so she doesn’t drop it. Her eyes take in the girl standing before her. This is the closest she’s been to the princess, ever. Only a few feet separate them. Erin is stunned. The princess stands in the doorway. Her hair is wet and she has a nightgown on. The princess is even prettier up close. Erin thought the princess was pretty yesterday when she saw her but now, face to face, Erin almost can’t believe it.

“Well, look who it is?” Carm says from behind the princess with that goofy smirk on her face.

“H-here.” Erin says shakily. She holds out the tray for Carm to take.

“Ella, can you get that? I have my hands full.” Carm lies. She has a hair brush in one hand but the other hand is free and could easily take the tray from Erin. “I’m just about to braid the princess’s hair.” Carm explains, more to Erin than anyone else. Erin nods absentmindedly.

The princess reaches out and Erin watches as the princess’s fingers wrap around the edge of the tea tray. “Thank you, Aaron.” The princess says with a soft smile that Erin misses because she’s looking down at the tray. “Have a good evening.” The princess adds, turning away from Erin and taking the tray into the bedroom. Carm stands before Erin now. She grins at Erin before closing the door in her face without saying anything. Erin stands there for a moment just staring at the door.

Erin walks down the hall, back down the stairs, through the kitchen, and down to the servant’s quarters. She thinks about her day. Her new job assignment and what tomorrow might hold for her. But mostly Erin thinks about the princess and meeting the princess.

* * *

 

Erin is having her breakfast when a rather robust fellow sits down next to her. She looks over at him cautiously. “Hi, I’m Benjamin. But, most call me Ben.” The man holds out his hand. “You’re Aaron?” Erin nods and takes his hand. Ben is big guy. He’s strong and his hands are calloused. He shakes Aaron’s hand roughly. Erin figures Ben is probably in his middle years. “We can finish our meal and then we’ll get started.” Ben starts on his breakfast.

No one has told Erin yet what it is exactly that she will be doing. “With what exactly?” Erin asks uncertainly.

Ben chuckles. “No one told you.” He shakes his head. “I’m head groundskeeper here at the castle. I take care of everything from the grass, to the gravel on the driveway, to the vegetables, to all the gardens and flowers, trees, and shrubs. Pretty much everything living plant on the property.”

Erin is impressed. Groundskeeper. She likes the sound of that. Erin finishes her breakfast as she thinks of all the possible things that she could be doing as a groundskeeper. She likes the idea of working outside. The weather at the castle is different than the weather was where she came from. In her village, it was always damp and cool. More days than not were cloudy. Here, at the castle, Erin finds the weather so far to be more pleasant. The sun was out both days that she’s been here. It’s not damp and drizzly and it’s slightly warmer here too.

Ben leads Erin out the back of the castle. They walk to the back of the property where a shed stands. “This is our shed. The groundskeeper’s shed.” Ben introduces. Erin nods and looks over the building. It’s nothing special but it is made of good quality materials. “All of our tools and equipment resides in this shed.” Ben steps inside the shed and Erin follows behind. There are tools covering the walls. A work bench stands against the back wall and there are two stools tucked away under the bench. Erin is surprised with the set up.

“You have any special skills, boy?” Ben asks her.

“No.” Erin shakes her head. She doesn’t have special skills. If she did, she wouldn’t be where she is right now. If she did, the king wouldn’t have found her in the street. If she did, she wouldn’t be at the castle.

“Ok. I suppose the best way to do this is that we go for a walk. I’ll show you all the gardens and what needs to be done on a daily basis. Watering and stuff. That’ll be our morning. How’s that sound?” Ben asks. He picks up a watering can off the floor and holds it out to Erin.

“Sounds good to me.” Erin doesn’t know if she’s allowed to say anything other than that. As Thomas told her, her work assignment is final. She takes the watering can from Ben.

“Okay, let’s get started.” Ben leads the way.

* * *

 

They worked all morning. Ben showed Erin all the gardens and explained the purpose of each. He showed Erin where to get water from and showed her which flowers needed to be watered every day. They broke for lunch with instruction to meet back at the groundskeeper’s shed.

“Grab a broom and dustpan.” Ben instructs as Erin enters the shed. “We need to tidy up the garden behind the castle.”

Erin grabs the items and follows Ben to the garden. He, too, has a broom. “You start on that end. I’ll start over here.” Ben tells her.

“Why are we doing this?” Erin is curious. It seems like a very specific thing to be doing.

“Because the princess spends time in this garden every day after she finishes her lunch.” Ben supplies.

“Oh.” Erin mumbles. She finds herself getting nervous at the mention of the princess. Of the mention of the princess being where she is standing. Erin tries to focus on sweeping the cobblestone beneath her feet but her thoughts wander to the princess.

Ben sweeps a little but moves on to plant maintenance. He deadheads some roses before he finishes with his sweeping. “This looks good.” Ben says checking Erin’s work. “Let’s get out of here.” Ben tells her.

Erin turns around to see the princess and Carm walking towards the garden. She pauses for a moment as they get closer. Ben passes by Carm and the princess as he exits the garden. Erin tries to follow suit. She steps to the side to allow the princess to enter the garden before she leaves. Erin figures that the correct thing to do in this situation. Carm walks past Erin first. Erin nods at Carm. Carm returns the nod with a smile.

“Good afternoon, princess.” Erin says politely as the princess passes by her. Her own boldness shocks Erin. Her eyes widen slightly. She can’t believe she just said that. The princess looks over her shoulder and gives Erin the slightest of smiles.

“Let’s go, boy.” Ben yells. That kicks Erin into gear. She scurries out of the garden nearly running to catch up with Ben.

Erin walks behind Ben all the way back to the groundskeeper’s shed. Ben sets his broom against the wall and pulls out a stool from under the workbench. He sits down, leaning his back against the wall, Ben puts his feet up on a crate, and pulls his cap over his eyes. “Naptime.” He says. Erin stands there with her mouth open. “Take a break, boy. More work to do after my nap.” He mumbles and waves her away.

Erin leaves the shed. She doesn’t know if this is a regular thing or not for Ben. She doesn’t think he could get away with it every day. There’s work he should be doing. They should be doing. Erin goes out behind the shed. The back edge of the castle property is only a few feet behind the shed. She walks along the edge. Small stone pillars about three feet tall stand every ten feet or so marking the property. Erin walks along them. She watches her feet as she walks. Erin reviews the day in her head. The work, which, she is more than okay with. The man she works with, who, works hard but doesn’t have much to say about anything other than work. The princess, who, she saw in the garden not too long ago. The princess, who, smiled at her. The princess, who, makes her nervous every time she sees her.

“What are you doing here?” Someone asks. Erin stops and looks around. For a second she’s afraid she’ll get in trouble for being somewhere she’s not or doing something she’s not supposed to. But the person standing in front of her is Carm.

“I could say the same about you. Shouldn’t you be with the princess?” Erin asks.

“Shouldn’t you be working with Ben?” Carm asks. Erin stutters not having a good explanation. That worry that she’s gonna get in trouble builds again. Carm laughs. “Naptime, huh?” Erin breathes a sigh of relief and nods. “So, groundskeeping, eh?” Carm raises an eyebrow. “I was right. Putting those strong hands to good use.” Carm jokes.

“Where’s the princess?” Erin asks. She wants the subject off of anything to do with herself. Erin has never been one to like talking about herself.

“Why do you want to know?” Carm asks. She leans in closer to Erin waiting for a response. Erin’s plan backfired. Carm always seems to turn everything around on her. Erin looks around trying to think of something appropriate to say but can’t come up with anything.

Carm actually answers Erin’s question when she doesn’t get a response. “She’s still in the garden.” Carm looks over her shoulder in the direction of the garden. “She usually sits there alone. Likes some time to herself each day. Nobody around. No distractions. Time to think. Stuff like that. It’s her alone time. I usually just take a walk during. I never go too far in case she calls for me. I can still hear her.” Carm explains.

Erin looks around. They are pretty far away from the garden but still within earshot. “So, you spend all day with the princess?” Erin asks.

“Pretty much. Why?” Carm raises an eyebrow at Erin.

Erin ducks her chin to her chest, embarrassed by her own questions. “Just curious, I guess.” Erin shrugs. She doesn’t know what it is. She wants to know more about the princess. She doesn’t know why either. “I’d never seen the princess before a few days ago. Even when I was picked up by the king and queen. I had seen them before. But, when I see the princess it makes me nervous. It wasn’t like that with the king and queen.” Erin tells Carm. Carm narrows her eyes at Erin. Erin starts to backtrack realizing she’s said too much, something she shouldn’t have. “I don’t know why I’m saying this. I shouldn’t-“

Carm’s laugh cuts Erin off. “Well, your gonna have to get over it, boy. Cuz your probably gonna see the princess every damn day.” Carm pats Erin on the shoulder. “I ain’t every met anyone quite like you.” She looks over her shoulder towards the garden. “I’ll see ya later, buddy. I better get back to the princess.”

Erin nods. “Right.” She agrees. Carm walks off and Erin waits for a moment before turning and going in the opposite direction back to the groundskeeper’s shed.

* * *

 

Thomas makes his way down the stair to the servant’s quarters. “Aaron.” He yells when he gets to the bottom of the stairs.

Erin jumps up from her cot and hurries over to Thomas. It’s just after dinner and most of the servants are preparing to turn in for the night. Lots of conversation and gossip takes place in the room. Servants telling each other about their day.

Erin stops in front of Thomas, slightly out of breath from her quick exertion. “I need you to do something for me.” Thomas says.

“Okay.” Erin nods in agreement.

“I need you to bring the tea to the princess’s room again. Carm, that crazy girl, didn’t bring it with her. I don’t have time to do it myself.” Thomas says.

“Why me?” Erin asks. “Not that I’m complaining or won’t do it but-“ She knows she has to do it. Rules. “-isn’t there someone else that can do it.”

Thomas looks Erin directly in the eyes. “You know where to go. I showed you where the princess’s room was and I told you not to go there. Sure, other servants know where it is but-“ Thomas looks around the room before bringing his eyes back to Erin. He puts a hand on Erin’s left shoulder. “-I trust you, Aaron. For whatever reason, I trust you. Don’t screw this up, boy. It could mean both our heads.” Thomas turns around and takes the stairs back up to the kitchen. Erin understand completely what Thomas is telling her. Men or boys aren’t allowed to do this sort of thing. Rules. Men aren’t allowed in the princess’s room. Erin understands that fully. That’s part of what makes her nervous to be around the princess.

Erin follows. She gets the tea tray from Thomas and starts her journey to the princess’s room. She’s nervous about seeing the princess again, but Erin’s trying to take Carm’s advice and get over it. She figures she’s gonna be seeing a lot of the princess. And maybe after a few times the nerves will wear off. Hopefully.

She knocks on the door and Carm opens it up a few seconds later. Erin is disappointed that Carm is the one to open the door. Part of her was hoping that the princess would answer her knock.

“Don’t look so happy to see me again.” Carm chuckles at the look on Erin’s face.

“Who’s at the door, Carm?” Erin hears the princess ask. Carm opens the door wider to reveal the princess sitting up in her bed.

“Oh, it’s just Aaron. I forgot to bring your tea with me.” Carm brushes it off. But she didn’t forget.

The princess isn’t buying it. “I was wondering where that was?” The princess says knowing Carm didn’t bring the tea. And knows that, for whatever reason, Carm hasn’t brought the tea the last two days.

“Come in.” Carm gestures for Erin to enter the room.

Erin’s eyes go wide. “No.” She says loudly. “I was told- here.” Erin shoves the tea tray towards Carm.

“Who told you what?” Carm asks, not taking the tray.

“Thomas. He said-“

Carm cuts Erin off. “Thomas.” Carm rolls her eyes. “That rule abiding geezer.”

“He’s not that old.” The princess speaks up.

Carm raises a hand in the air and waves off the princess. Carm eyes Erin for a second before sticking her head out the door. She looks left and then right. “I don’t see anyone around.” Carm says to Erin, narrowing her eyes. It’s a challenge. A test.

“But, Thomas said not to screw this up. If I don’t get back to the kitchen, I’ll be in trouble.” Erin tells Carm. She doesn’t understand what is happening here or why Carm wants her to come into the princess’s room so bad.

“My tea?” The princess calls out impatiently.

“Yeah.” Carm says staring Erin down. “You don’t want to keep the princess waiting, now do you?” Carm looks down at the tea tray. “Come along.” She whispers to Erin and wiggles a finger for Erin to enter the room. Slowly, Carm backs into the bedroom, away from the door.

Erin looks left and right down the hallway. There’s no one around. But it still makes her uneasy. She gulps down the lump in her throat and steps forward into the princess’s room.

The first thing that Erin notices is how nice the room is. Not that she thought it wouldn’t be but she is pleasantly surprised at the sight before her. The room is decorated in simple colors. There’s not a lot in the room. Adding to the simplicity of it all. But Erin can feel the princess’s personal touch.

“Just set the tray down over there.” Carm tells Erin and points to the bedside table. Erin smiles politely as she walks past the bed. She sets the tray down and backs away.

Erin stands at the foot of the bed and watches as Carm starts pouring the tea. Her eyes wander over to the princess. “Is there anything else I can do for you, Princess?” Erin asks like a good castle servant.

“Ella.” The princess says. “In my room, it’s Ella. I don’t want to be addressed as princess in here. And before you say anything. I know the rules of the castle but I don’t want those in here.” The princess explains with a soft smile.

Erin is a little taken aback. “Sorry, Prin- Ella.” Erin cringes. She’s messing this up so bad. Erin clears her throat and tries once more. “Is there anything else I can do for you, Ella?” Erin asks again.

Ella shakes her head. Carm hands the tea to Ella and she takes it, taking a sip. “I think I’m good, but thank you for asking, Aaron.”

“Thank you, Princess.” Erin knows her error right away. “I mean, Ella.” She shakes her head, feeling her face start to heat up in embarrassment. This isn’t going very well. Erin’s nerves get the best of her. “I’m just gonna leave before I say anything else dumb.”

Carm laughs. That’s enough for Erin. She buries her face in her hand and hurries out of the room.

* * *

 

When Carm is finished with the princess she returns to the servant’s quarters. She finds Erin’s cot right away with one thing in mind. Carm kneels next to the cot. “Someone has a crush on the princess.” Carm whispers.

Erin nearly jumps out of bed. She wasn’t asleep yet and Carm nearly scared her to death. Carm’s words scare Erin even more. “What? No. Shut up.” She protests loudly.

A few of the other servants grumble at the two of them to be quiet.

“Come on, boy.” Carm doesn’t give up.

“No. You’re wrong. I just get nervous. That’s all. It’s a nervous thing. I don’t have a crush on the princess. That’s not possible.” Erin tells Carm in an aggressive whisper.

Carm shakes her head. “Whatever you say, buddy.” She pats Erin’s leg before getting up and going over to her own cot.

Erin tries to get to sleep but can’t with Carm’s words floating around in her head.


	3. Chapter 3

Erin finds Carm at the table the next morning. “Why didn’t you bring the princess her tea?” Erin demands an answer. She wants to know what’s going on. Now that she’s been assigned to groundskeeper she shouldn’t have to be doing anything that involves the kitchen or the princess.

“Morning to you, too, buddy.” Carm chuckles, unaffected by Erin sudden appearance and outburst. “And I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Carm continues to eat her breakfast. “I give the princess her tea every night.” She plays dumb. It’s not like she’s lying. Carm poured and gave the princess her tea last night.

“You do know what I’m talking about. Thomas is even suspicious. He said you always bring the tea with you when you go up to the princess’s room.” Erin points her finger at Carm.

That gets Carm to turn away from her breakfast. She stares at Erin’s finger with a blank face. “I forgot. What else do you want me to say?” Carm continues to play the innocent card.

Erin’s not sure what she wants Carm to say. She wants a reason why Carm didn’t bring the tea but she’s not getting much out of the girl. Erin really just wants to feel like she’s not left in the dark about everything. She feels Carm is up to something but she doesn’t know what. Erin feels like whatever Carm is up to has to do with herself and doesn’t like it. She mostly has an uneasy feeling that she just can’t shake.

Not getting an answer, Erin walks off in a huff.

* * *

 

Erin’s already eating her lunch when Carm comes in. “How was your morning?” Carm asks as she sits down next to Erin. Erin’s still not pleased with Carm. She wouldn’t say she’s upset but maybe just irritated with the curly haired girl.

“Fine.” Erin grunts. Carm sits down next to her. They don’t say anything for a few minutes.

“Did I say something?” Carm asks after a while.

“No. It’s fine.” Erin doesn’t want to bring it up. She doesn’t know how to bring up Carm’s behavior without accusing her of something she’s not sure Carm is or isn’t doing.

“If you say so.” Carm goes back to eating. Erin finishes her meal before Carm and gets up to leave. “See ya in the garden, buddy.” Carm says to Erin. Erin freezes on the spot. This is what Erin is referring to when she thinks Carm is up to something. The little comments. The reminders of the princess. Or reminders of her embarrassment around the princess. It’s really starting to get on her nerves. Erin walks away without saying or acknowledging Carm’s comment.

Erin hurries out to the groundskeeper’s shed but Ben isn’t there yet when she gets there. She wonders if she should go to the garden and start cleaning up or if that’s not in the plan for today. But then again Carm mentioned seeing her in the garden so they must be going to clean up the garden for the princess. Erin starts pacing back and forth in the shed. She grabs a broom after a few trips across the floor. Swiping the wooden floor boards hoping that Ben will get there soon and tell her what to do. Half of her hopes that they won’t go to the garden behind the castle. The other half of her knows that’s what’s gonna happen.

Ben shows up after a couple of minutes. “Someone’s ready.” He chuckles. “I like your work ethic, boy.” He pats Erin on the shoulder. “Let’s get to the garden.” He confirms what Erin already knew.

Erin hurries through her sweeping of the cobblestone paths in the garden. She just wants to get this done as fast as possible. And if possible get done before Carm and the princess show up.

“Slow down, boy. What’s yer hurry?” Ben says from across the garden. He’s noticed Erin’s quick pace. “Be thorough. And do a good job. No need to rush it.” Ben advises. He wants the garden to look good for the princess. Really, for anyone that wants to use and enjoy it. He knows that rushing through the work is going to take away from that.

“Okay. Sorry.” Erin apologizes. She takes a deep breath and slows down. It’s not the end of the world if the princess and Carm arrive. Erin just has to remain calm and not get nervous. As long as Carm doesn’t say anything, Erin should be fine.

Ben and Erin are close to finishing in the garden when Carm and the princess arrive. They stand near each other with their brooms in hand.

“Good afternoon, princess.” Ben and Erin say to the princess at the same time. They share a quick look before turning their attention back to the princess.

“Good afternoon.” The princess says and nods her head at both of them.

Ben holds the dust pan for Erin while she sweeps a pile of dirt into it. They depart the garden with polite smiles in the princess’s direction. They don’t want to disturb or take away from her afternoon. Erin breathes a sigh of relief as they leave. Nothing catastrophic happened. Carm didn’t say anything to embarrass her. Erin didn’t say anything to embarrass herself. Which is good.

Ben goes to take his nap when they return to the groundskeeper’s shed. Erin thinks about going for a walk like she did the day before, but decides against it. Instead, Erin sits against the outside wall of the shed. She doesn’t want to run into Carm. Erin doesn’t want to have anything to do with Carm for the time being. She’s super annoyed with the girl. At least she doesn’t want to see her, not until she figures out with Carm’s deal is.

Erin helped Ben cut the grass in the afternoon. Only part of the lawn, though, because it takes over a day to cut all the grass on the castle property. They finished for the day just in time for dinner.

Erin looks around the room. She searches the tables but doesn’t spot Carm anywhere. She’s thankful for that. Erin just wants to eat and lay in her cot until she falls asleep. That is, until she remembers what has happened the past two days after dinner.

Thomas comes downstairs looking for Erin. She hasn’t even finished her dinner yet. “Aaron.” He says as he approaches where Erin sits. Erin sighs. “Have you seen Carm?” Thomas asks.

Erin narrows her eyes. She wasn’t expecting that to come out of his mouth. “No.”

Thomas sighs now. “I don’t know what’s going on with that girl, but I don’t like it.”

Erin thinks, ‘me too.’

“I’ll need you to bring the tea to the princess.” Thomas tells her.

Erin sighs. There it is. That’s what she was hoping she wouldn’t have to do. Erin agrees to the task even though she doesn’t want to. She knows Thomas is counting on her. For that alone, she will do it. She likes Thomas and the fact that he trusts her goes a long way with Erin.

* * *

 

Erin knocks on the bedroom door. She takes a deep breath in and holds it. She’s not sure who’s gonna answer the door. If Thomas hasn’t seen Carm and she hasn’t either, maybe Carm isn’t with the princess. The thought that neither Carm or the princess are in the room crosses Erin’s mind. But the door opens. Erin lets out the breath she was holding. The princess stands before her.

“Where’s Carm?” Erin blurts out. The princess smiles at her and the nerves start inside of Erin.

“She said she had something she had to do real quick, but would be right back.” The princess tells Erin.

Erin narrows her eyes at the princess. She doesn’t believe what the princess just told her. Something about the way she said it. “Well, I brought your tea.” Erin looks down at the tea tray in her hands.

“Come in.” The princess tells her.

The nerves inside Erin multiply. “I don’t know.” Erin thinks of the rules. If Carm isn’t in the room with them, is that wrong? It’s surely against some rule somewhere Erin thinks.

“I don’t bite. I promise.” The princess smiles at her own little joke.

Erin sighs. She doesn’t want to deny the princess anything. And since Carm isn’t around she can just deliver the tea and exit quickly. That shouldn’t be too difficult. “Okay.” Erin agrees to the princess invitation.

The princess walks over to the bed. Erin waits until she is sitting on the edge of the bed before taking a step into the room.

“Rawrrrr!” Someone yells, jumping out from behind the door.

Erin jumps. There’s laughter in the room. The tea tray flies through the air. “Fuck!” She screams. The hot tea spills down the front of Erin’s vest and pants as the tea tray crashes to the floor. Erin starts patting at her vest and pants as the hot tea seeps into them.

Slowly, the laughter dies away.

There is a whisper of a voice. “Are you okay?”

Erin looks up from examining her dirtied clothes. Her eyes meet the princess’s worried ones from across the room. “I’ll be fine.” Erin finds herself saying. The tea isn’t scolding and the layer of clothes protected her from getting burned.

“Okay, good.” The princess smiles at Erin.

“I’ll have to wash these clothes tonight though.” Erin tells the princess. “No thanks to you.” She finally turns her person who caused this. She turns to Carm and narrows her eyes at the girl. Carm throws her hands in the air. Erin’s words directed at Carm are sharp. “You thought that was funny, didn’t you?” Erin points a finger at her. “And you employed the princess to be your accomplice. You should be ashamed of yourself.” Erin tells her. “Now she doesn’t get her evening tea.” Erin adds.

Carm hangs her head. “I’m sorry. It was supposed to be a prank.” Carm offers. It’s not much of an explanation. She had only thought of scaring Erin, not the consequences. She didn’t think it through.

“I’ll be fine without my evening tea.” The princess says hoping to ease the tension in the room.

Erin’s eyes shift from Carm to the princess. She eyes the princess for a few seconds. “Whatever.” She huffs. Erin’s too mad to care about much right now. She storms out of the room. She’s gonna need to wash her clothes before tomorrow.

* * *

 

In the morning, Erin’s pants are still damp. It’s a delightful reminder of the night before. Luckily, Erin finds her vest completely dry. She’s dreading seeing Carm today. Or the princess for that matter. What kind of childish things does Carm think she can get away with? Maybe that’s why she doesn’t have any friends here. Not because she’s the princess’s personal servant, but because she pulls dumb pranks on people.

Erin’s at the breakfast table when Carm comes up and sits down next to her. “Aaron, I-“

Erin doesn’t let Carm get any further before she gets up and leaves. She doesn’t even finish her breakfast, that’s how much she doesn’t want to deal with Carm.

Hoping that her groundskeeping work will take her mind off of Carm’s little prank Erin focuses on that. She makes a decision that whatever crap she has to put up with at the castle she will just focus on her work. Erin likes the groundskeeping so far. It’s peaceful and calming working outside, even if it is sometimes physically demanding.

It works. Cutting the lawn is the perfect distraction. Erin works through lunch, through cleaning the garden with Ben. He never comes to get her, so Erin just continues cutting. All day, Erin works on cutting the lawns surrounding the castle. It’s not easy work, but Erin feels good doing it. She feels a sense of purpose. When she’s done, she feels a sense of pride.

“I did that.” Erin says to herself with her head held high.

It’s late. Really late. The sun is setting and it’s after dinnertime. Erin is exhausted but satisfied and proud of the work she’s done during the day. She returns to the castle kitchen and retrieves her dinner. She’s the only one eating dinner at the table in the servant’s quarters.  There is a group of men at the other end of her table playing cards, but it appears that everyone else has already had their meal.

Erin heads for her cot when she’s done eating. She’s exhausted. She flops down on the cot with a long sigh. Thomas never came looking for her when she was eating. She either missed him or he didn’t need her to bring the princess her tea. Either way, Erin is grateful. All she wants to do now is sleep. She doesn’t want to see the princess or Carm. Erin is glad that everyone left her alone for the day.

* * *

Erin gets up the next day a little sore from the previous day’s work. She gets dressed and has breakfast. No one disturbs her. She goes out to the groundskeeper’s shed to meet Ben for their day of work.

“We’re gonna be doing some pruning today. I’ll show you how to do it and we can work together.” Ben tells Erin and holds out a pruning tool for Erin to take. “This is yours. Don’t lose it.” Ben instructs. Erin takes the tool and follows Ben out. He pushes a wheelbarrow in front of him as they walk to the gardens on the east side of the castle.

Ben shows Erin what to do and they get to work.

“Can I ask you a few questions?” Erin asks. She’s been thinking lately and wonders if Ben might know the answers to her questions.

“Sure, kid.” Ben nods. “Anything.”

“How long have you been at the castle?” Erin asks him.

Ben pauses his hands for a moment. “Nearly 25 years.” Ben says.

“Wow. How?” Erin asks.

“I was acquired in a trade with another kingdom by the king’s father. He ruled this place at the time.” Ben explains. “Been here ever since.”

Erin thinks of something else now that Ben has mentioned the king. “The king- he’s a good man, right?” Erin asks.

“Very good. Very kind. Very fair. You wouldn’t think those things would work well for a ruler, but it works for him. It’s all about his personality. The queen- not so much. Not that she’s isn’t nice or kind or whatever, but she just doesn’t come off as likeable as the king. She has something about her that makes people cautious around her. I probably shouldn’t be telling you this. The queen is a good woman, she’s just not like the king. But, somehow, they work, it works.” Ben says with finality.

“What about the servants?” Erin asks. Ben has given her a lot of new information to think about.

“What about them? How do they feel about the king and queen?” Ben asks for clarification.

“No. Well, yes. Yes and no. The servants- I’ve been here a number of days now- no one-?” Erin doesn’t know how to ask the question.

“Feeling like you don’t fit in?” Ben asks.

“Yeah.” Erin is relieved that Ben seems to know what she was trying to ask.

“Don’t worry about it. That’s just the way it is. Servant’s don’t really go out of their way to make friends with other, new, servants. They tend to stick to the group they work with or even the group they arrived with, if that’s the case. The older folks all mingle together, but that’s just cuz we’re old.” Ben laughs. He claps Erin on the back. “Don’t worry kid. You’re doing just fine around here. And as far as how the servants feel about the king and queen. Let’s just say that most of them are happy to be here, happy to have something to do for the kingdom, and happy that King William is such a fair man. There are much worse places to be, trust me.”

Erin nods. She thinks he’s talking from experience.

They work the remainder of the morning. “I’ll see you after lunch for our garden cleaning.” Ben says to Erin as they walk back to the shed to return their tools before lunch.

“Okay.” Erin replies. She’s not really excited about the possibility of seeing Carm or the princess again. She managed to avoid them yesterday, but today Erin doesn’t appear as lucky.

* * *

 

They are leaving the garden when Carm and the princess walk over.

“Hello, princess. Carm.” Ben acknowledges them with a nod. Erin just nods at both of them and walks behind Ben out of the garden. They’re leaving and Erin breathes a sigh of relief. She thinks she’s in the clear. She just has to keep walking.

“Aaron.”

Erin stops in her tracks. So does Ben. They share a look. Both unsure of what the princess could possibly want.

“Can I speak with you?” The princess asks, barely above a whisper.

The nerves start inside Erin. Ben and Erin turn around slowly to face the princess.

“I’m sorry. Is the garden not prepared to your liking? Is there something I can do? To the garden? Or just- like- in general?” Erin stutters out. She hates how nervous she gets. And she still can’t understand why.

“Yes, actually, there is something you can do for me.” The princess confirms. Erin focuses on the princess, but out of the corner of her eye sees Carm whip her head around to look at the princess. She wants to ask what the princess needs, but decides it’s better to wait and have the princess tell her. The less she speaks the less chance of making a fool of herself.

“Ben you can go.” The princess address the head groundskeeper.

Ben narrows his eyes ever so slightly. “I- Aaron-“ He stutters for something to say. Erin gives him a look to say that it’s fine if he goes. “Okay.” Ben says. “Good afternoon, Princess.” He nods at her before turning to go take his afternoon nap.

The princess turns to her left. Erin watches and waits. The princess wants something from her but she sure it’s in any hurry to get it. Erin just wants to get it over with quickly. The princess looks Carm in the eyes. “You too, Carm. Get outta here.” Carm’s jaw drops open. “I want to speak with Aaron alone.”

Carm tries her best to object. “But-“

The princess cuts her off. “Please?” The princess nearly begs.

“Fine.” Carm rolls her eyes before walking off.

The princess goes over to the stone bench that sits under the big maple tree. She sits down and pats the spot next to her. “Come sit down, Aaron.” The princess insists. Erin does as she’s told. Except, she doesn’t sit down next to the princess. She couldn’t do that. Erin sits on the bench that is opposite to the princess so that they are facing each other.

“I saw you cutting the lawn yesterday.” The princess starts with.

“I was.” Erin say dumbly. She looks down at her shoes.

“It looks very nice and I’m sure Ben likes the help. He’s getting old, ya know.” The princess goes on.

Erin nervously bounces her leg. “I know.” Erin agrees.

The princess picks up on Erin’s short answers. “Not much of a conversationalist, are you?” The princess teases.

“I- uh-“ Erin stutters. The nerves increase. Her stomach does backflips and her hands get all sweaty. “I just- don’t know what to say to a princess.”

“Then don’t think of me as a princess.” The princess grins.

“I can’t.” Erin replies with a shrug.

The princess laughs.

Erin looks up, over at the princess. “What’s so funny?” Erin asks. She feels offended. She crosses her arms over her chest. “Stop laughing at me. You know what? I don’t need this. I’m outta here.” Erin stands up. “After what you and Carm did the other night and now this. I’m tired of people around here making fun of me.” Erin starts walking away from the princess. “Have a good rest of your afternoon, princess.” She snips as she goes.

A hand around Erin’s wrist stop her in her tracks. “Wait.” The princess whispers. Erin won’t turn around. She’s willing to wait and hear what the princess has to say but she won’t face her. She can’t. Not right now. Not with the princess’s hand wrapped around her wrist.

“That’s why I wanted to talk to you. Well, part of the reason.” The princess licks her lips. “What Carm and I did the other night was wrong. It was mean. I never should have let it happen. You weren’t supposed to spill the tea all over yourself.” The princess explains.

Erin can’t believe this is happening. She looks down at her wrist that the princess still has a hold of then, slowly, Erin turns towards the princess and connects their eyes. “It was supposed to be a funny prank. You weren’t supposed to get hurt. You didn’t get burned, did you?” The princess asks sincerely. The concern is written on her face. In her eyes.

“No.” Erin pulls her wrist from the princess’s grip. She takes a much needed step back from the princess. She can’t think straight being that close to the princess. Erin’s head is spinning. She’s not sure what to do or say.

The princess reaches out and takes hold of Erin’s wrist again, wrapping her fingers gently around the soft skin there. “I’m sorry.” The princess whispers. “I talked to Carm and she realizes what she did was wrong. I told her that she owes you an apology too. I’m guessing that didn’t happen yet.” Erin just shakes her head to overwhelmed to do anything else. “Okay, well, I really am sorry. We were just trying to have some fun. It gets really boring around here sometimes.”

Erin sighs. She can’t be mad at the princess. She’s not mad. “Apology accepted.” Erin gives the princess a small smile. “But, you shouldn’t be the one apologizing, Princess.”

The princess shrugs. “Maybe not. But somebody has to.”

Erin nods. “Well, thank you.” She certainly appreciates the gesture. “I should get back to work.” Erin concludes.

“But-“ The princess tries to object.

Erin stops her with a shake of her head. She gently removes the princess’s fingers from around her wrist. “No buts. I have work to do. That’s my duty as a servant.” Erin firmly reminds the princess of her position, of their positions, as they stand there. Even though she is grateful that the princess apologized, she doesn’t have to. They are not equals. No matter how well the princess or the king or queen treat their servants they will never be equals. Rules.

Erin leaves a speechless princess behind in the garden. She passes Carm on her way back to the shed. They don’t say anything to one another. Erin smiles at Carm and nods. She knows that the princess told Carm to apologize. That thought alone helps Erin put her anger with Carm aside. Erin feels lighter and is looking forward to the rest of her work day.

* * *

 

That night Carm finishes her nightly duties with the princess. She returns to the servant’s quarters and finds Erin’s cot right away.

“You still awake, buddy.” Carm whispers.

Erin clears her throat. She hadn’t fallen asleep yet. “Yeah.” Erin pushes herself up so she’s leaning on her elbows.

“Okay. Look, about what happened with the tea. It was supposed to be funny. I just- it shouldn’t have happened. Okay?” Carm says.

Erin waits for a moment when Carm doesn’t continue further. “That’s a shit apology.” Carm hangs her head. “You didn’t even say you were sorry.”

“Look, I’m sorry. What more do you want me to say?” Carm groans.

“Just that.” Erin shrugs. “Now get out of here. I want to sleep.” Erin smiles genuinely to letting Carm know that they are okay.

“Thanks, buddy.” Carm grins.

“Thank you.” Erin tells her. She knows that it was the princess who urged Carm to apologize and she now realizes that it’s not easy for Carm to apologize, for whatever reason, but she accepts it. Everyone has things they don’t like doing or have a hard time doing. Erin figures apologizing is one of those things for Carm.

“Good night, Aaron.” Carm stands.

“Night.” Erin flops back onto her cot and Carm walks away. She sighs. The day turned out to be a pretty good one and Erin is glad that she no longer holds anger inside of herself towards Carm or the princess for what they did. She doesn’t like feeling that way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that's another installment. The next promises much more interaction between Erin and the princess.


	4. Chapter 4

In the morning Erin finds Carm at the table. “Morning, Carm.”

“Morning, buddy.” Carm smiles over at Erin as she sits down.

The past is the past. The last few days are behind them. Erin’s looking forward now. Now that the teasing from Carm has stopped and she got an apology from the girl, things are looking up. Erin can actually see herself becoming friends with Carm. Carm’s not a bad person but her jokes and prank may have gotten her a bad reputation. But Erin can see now that it’s just that, a reputation. They are about the same age and Erin doesn’t see why they can’t be friends going forward.

They enjoy their breakfast together. “I’ll see you at lunchtime.” Carm pats Erin on the shoulder as she gets up from the table.

“Sure.” Erin nods.

Erin finishes her soup and goes out to the groundskeeper’s shed. She’s ready for the day. Erin walks into the shed and finds Ben standing at the work bench with his back to her. She doesn’t want to scare him so she shuffles her feet on the wooden floor a little as she walks. It works.

Ben looks over his shoulder at Erin and nods to her. He returns to his work. Ben has a chunk of wood between his hands. He turns it around a few times trying to decide where to start.

Erin approaches the work bench when Ben doesn’t say anything to her. She watches Ben look at the piece of wood. He practically ignores Erin’s presence and she doesn’t understand why. Usually, he is ready to go in the morning when Erin gets there. Today, he’s just standing there staring at a piece of wood.

Ben looks over at Erin after a little while. “No one told you.” He smirks at Erin.

“Told me what?” Erin quirks an eyebrow.

“It’s our day off.” Ben’s smirk turns into a smile.

“Oh. Okay.” Erin mumbles. She certainly didn’t know that. “What am I supposed to do now?” She asks. More to herself than to Ben.

Ben laughs. “Take the day off. Rest. Find someone to spend it with. Someone else that has the day off. A lucky lady, maybe.” Ben wiggles his eyebrows at her.

Erin’s face heats up at Ben’s suggestion. The thought of finding a lucky lady. The fact that Erin is a _lady_ and if Ben knew that he wouldn’t be suggesting she find a lady. However, if Ben knew that she was a lady there would be other problems.

“Whatever you do, just stay out of trouble.” Ben adds.

“Okay, sure.” Erin mumbles, too embarrassed to say much more.

“See ya tomorrow, boy.” Ben says as Erin makes an exit.

Erin returns to the castle. She’s not sure what she’s gonna do all day. But, apparently, is free to do whatever she wants as long as she doesn’t get in trouble. Erin returns to the servant’s quarters.

There are about eight people down there. They all have their day off today too. A few are sleeping. A few washing their work clothes. A few, quietly, playing cards. Erin carefully changes out of her work clothes into the street clothes that she arrived in. She hasn’t worn them since the first day that she arrived at the castle. They are tatty but they are clean.

Erin washes her clothes. She remembers what Thomas told her on the first day. To wash her clothes on her day off. It isn’t difficult and doesn’t take a long time. Erin hangs her clothes up on the line along with some of the other servants so they can dry. She goes over to her cot and lays down. Erin decides a nap is a good way to spend her morning.

She awakes to the noise of the lunch rush. Servants coming and going as they eat their meals. Erin gets her food and sits down at an empty spot. Carm comes in a couple minutes after Erin sat down.

“It’s my day off and I didn’t even know it.” Erin says to her.

Carm laughs. “That’s a good one.”

“No one told me.” Erin defends herself.

“Yeah, that’s the way things go around here sometimes. So, do you have plans for the rest of your day?” Carm asks and shoves a spoonful of soup into her mouth.

“I don’t know.” Erin shrugs. She hasn’t thought much about it really.

“Why don’t you go for a walk around the edge of the property.” Carm suggests.

“Hmm.” Erin hums. She doesn’t like the idea much. She spends her days working on the property and wants to do something that isn’t work related.

“What about a work in the woods? Back behind the castle.” Carm suggests.

“Can I do that?” Erin asks. She’s not sure if she’s allowed to leave the property. No one’s ever said anything to her about it.

Carm nods with soup in her mouth. “As long as you return the king doesn’t care too much. He doesn’t want servants going out and causing trouble, though, so if you were thinking of doing that, don’t.” Carm chuckles.

“I wasn’t. I won’t. I wouldn’t jeopardize my spot here.” Erin says. “I’ll think about the walk in the woods. Sounds interesting. Relaxing. What day do you have off?” Erin asks as soon as she thinks of the question.

Carm sighs. She puts her spoon down in her now empty bowl. Erin is always amazed at how fast Carm eats. “I don’t get a whole day off. On account of the princess and all. But, I do get the afternoon off.”

“Today?” Erin asks making sure she understands what Carm is saying.

“Yes. This afternoon.” Carm confirms.

Erin thinks about it for a minute. She always thought that Carm and the king and queen’s personal servant’s had to best job in the entire castle. The easiest job. But now, knowing that they don’t get a whole day off she thinks otherwise. She’s not so sure that she would like to be a personal servant like Carm. “Why didn’t you tell me you get the afternoon off?” Erin asks. “Maybe we could spend it together.” Erin suggests.

“You never asked.” Carm grins crooked. Erin frowns. “I’m kidding. It never came up. But, I wouldn’t be opposed to spending the afternoon with you. Or at least some of it.” Carm jokes. Erin rolls her eye at Carm catching onto the jokes this time. “But, first. I have to get through lunch with the princess.” Carm winks.

“I thought the princess was alright.” Erin thinks about the princess for a moment. Carm just implied that the princess isn’t nice or something along those lines. “Is she nasty sometimes?” Erin asks, unsure. She thought the princess was nice, for the most part, anytime they interacted. But, she doesn’t really know the princess.

Carm laughs a little. “No. The princess is totally nice. She takes after her father on that one. That is, most of the time. But, she can get ‘nasty’ as you put it when she is hungry. As soon as she is feed, though, she’s like sunshine again.” Carm explains.

Erin nods. “Sunshine.” Erin mumbles and looks off into the corner of the room. She thinks about the sun. Sunshine. Golden sunshine. Sunshine hair. Sunshine smiles. Sunshine princess’s.

Carm laughs. “Sure, boy. No crush. You sure about that?” Carm smacks Erin on the shoulder as she gets up from the table.

* * *

 

Erin doesn’t know where she’s supposed to meet Carm for their afternoon excursion. She heads out the back of the castle. Out to the garden. If Erin is correct Carm and the princess will be in the garden after lunch. If she’s wrong well, maybe just the princess will show up there. Erin doesn’t know but she figures it’s her best bet. She sits on one of the benches. It’s a beautiful day. The sun is shining. There isn’t a cloud in the sky. There’s a light breeze. Erin takes in her surroundings. The garden is beautiful, peaceful. She works in the garden but has never just sat and enjoyed it. Erin understands why the princess likes to sit alone in the garden so much.

She hears footsteps and turns around. The princess and Carm are only a few feet away from Erin. She stands. “Good afternoon, Princess.” Erin greets politely.

“Good afternoon, Aaron.” The princess replies with a smile that has Erin smiling back.

“Well, if you don’t need anything else I will be off for the afternoon. I’ll see you at dinner, as usual.” Carm tells the princess.

“I’m good, Carm. Thank you. Have a good afternoon.” The princess sits down on the bench in the shade of the maple tree.

Carm turns to Erin. “You ready?” She asks. Erin nods.

“Is it your day off too?” The princess asks. Erin looks around before she points her finger to her chest. “Yeah you, silly.” The princess grins.

“Yes, it’s my day off, Princess.” Erin confirms.

The princess nods. “Have a good day then.” She opens a book that she brought out to the garden and starts reading.

Carm grabs Erin by the elbow and leads them out of the garden. They walk into the woods. Carm leads the way somewhat. She doesn’t have a plan but they walk around the woods for a while. “So, what was that about back there?” Carm asks.

“What was what?” Erin asks.

“You and your little conversation with the princess back there.” Carm says.

“She just asked me some questions so I answered them.” Erin says.

“You sure you don’t have a crush on the princess, buddy.” Carm pushes Erin.

“I don’t. I swear.” Erin denies it. She doesn’t know where Carm is getting this idea. “I don’t know how you get that idea. It’s just polite conversation. Is there something wrong with that?” Erin starts to get defensive.

“No. No. It’s good. It’s fine. I just- you know what- nevermind.” Carm says. While she wants to tease Erin about this possible crush, she doesn’t want to upset or anger the newest servant again.

Carm leads them to a stream. She’s known about the stream for a while now. Carm doesn’t venture out into the woods very often, but she’s been out enough to know her way around the woods. It’s pretty handy.

They sit down at the edge and Carm takes her shoes off. Erin follows suit. They stick their feet in the cold water. Carm lays on her back with her hands locked together behind her hand. Erin opts for sitting upright. They relax and enjoy the nice day until Carm has to return to the castle for dinner with the princess.

“It sucks that you don’t get a whole day off like everyone else.” Erin tells Carm. She’s been thinking about it all day.

Carm’s not bothered by it. She accepted a long time ago that this was her reality. She knows it comes along with being the princess’s personal assistant. Does she sometimes wish she had a whole day off? Sure. But she wouldn’t trade job assignments with anyone. She likes the princess too much. She likes working for the princess too much to do anything else.

* * *

 

Thomas comes down to the servant’s quarters after Erin has had her dinner. He goes over to Erin’s cot. “Aaron?” He asks.

Erin opens her eyes to see Thomas standing over her. She sits up. “Do you want to take the princess her evening tea?” He asks.

Erin quirks an eyebrow at him. “What about Carm?” She wants to know why he’s asking. She thought she was over this with Carm and that Carm would be taking back the responsibility of bringing the tea to the princess after the incident they had.

“It’s her day off. Well, half day off. Like me, she doesn’t get a whole day off. Comes with the job. Usually on Carm’s day off I bring the tea to the princess and I totally can, but I thought I’d offer the task to you first.” Thomas tells Erin.

She thinks for a second. She finds it odd that Thomas keeps coming to her for this. Knowing what she knows now. He could just do it himself and get it over with but for whatever reason Thomas wants to enlist Erin in this task. Does he not like the princess? Does he feel uncomfortable around her? As far as Erin knows, that’s not the case. She doesn’t really know what to think.

“Sure.” Erin finds herself saying. She pushes off her cot and follows Thomas to the kitchen to get the tea.

* * *

 

Erin knocks on the bedroom door. She knows Carm isn’t in there. It makes her nervous.

The princess opens the door. She smiles when she sees Erin at the door. “You’re not Thomas.” The princess says to Erin.

“Disappointed?” Erin asks.

“Not at all.” The princess replies. “Come in.” She takes a step back and leaves room for Erin to enter the room.

Erin enters and goes over to the bedside table. She puts the tea tray down.

“How was your day?” The princess asks.

The question surprises Erin. “Good.” She’s not sure why the princess is asking. She pours the tea for the princess. Erin holds the cup of tea out for the princess to take.

The princess cocks her head to the said. “You didn’t have to do that for me.” The princess insists.

“I wanted to.” Erin says.

The princess smiles. “Thank you.” The princess climbs into bed, under the blankets. She takes the cup from Erin. The princess then pats the bed next to where she sits with one hand. The other bringing the cup of tea to her lips to take a sip.

Erin shakes her head at the princess’s gesture. “No. I can’t.” She says to the princess.

“Please?” The princess pouts.

Erin thinks the princess is cute when she pouts but- She shakes her head and looks around the room nervously. Erin wonders if she could just leave. But, she thinks she should probably wait until the princess is done with her tea and bring the cup and tray with her back down to the kitchen. Erin spots a chair in the corner of the room. She walks over to the chair and brings it back over to the bed. She sets it next to the bed and sits down.

“Now what?” Erin asks nervously. She did what the princess asked. Well, in her own way. She won’t sit on the bed by the princess. Rules.

The princess laughs at Erin.

Erin sighs. She said something dumb again. Her nerves start to increase. They weren’t bad until now. “I’m sorry, Princess. I don’t spend a lot of time with royalty. I don’t know what to do.” Erin apologizes for her actions.

“First.” The princess says. “Stop apologizing. You haven’t done anything wrong. Second, don’t call me princess in this room.” The princess holds up three fingers. “Third, what do you do with your family and friends? What do you talk about? Just do that. Pretend I’m just one of your friends.” The princess tells Erin. “What do boys your age talk about?” She asks.

Erin cringes for more than one reason. She starts sweating. “Am I gonna get in trouble for being in here? Shouldn’t I have just dropped off your tea and left? Isn’t there a rule about that?” Erin questions. She’s second guessing the decisions she made in the last few minutes.

“A rule about what?” The princess asks. She wants Erin to say it.

Erin sighs. “That boys or men aren’t allowed to be alone with you.” She rubs her sweaty palms on her pants legs.

Ella smiles. “Are you going to hurt me? Murder me?” She asks.

“What?” Erin squawks. “No.”

“Are you going to force yourself upon me?” Ella asks bluntly.

Erin’s eyes go wide. “I would never.”

Ella shrugs and takes a sip of her tea. “Then I don’t see a problem.” She says nonchalantly.

Erin relaxes a little. She’s still nervous around the princess but it’s better, easier with each time.

“Tell me a little bit about yourself.” Ella tells Erin.

Erin’s nerves go through the roof. She doesn’t like talking about herself. “Why? I’m just a lowly servant.” Erin hangs her head. She hates that the princess wants to know things about her. She doesn’t want to talk about herself.

“Just do it.” Ella demands.

What the princess wants, the princess gets. With a sigh Erin begins. “My name is Aaron. I’m fifteen.” Both lies. To a degree. “I’ve been with the castle less than a week. I’m a groundskeeper.” Erin rambles. She’s not sure what the princess wants to hear. “I don’t know what else you want me to say.” Erin gives Ella a pleading look. She doesn’t want to talk about herself at all. She feels like she might have already revealed too much.

“I don’t wanna know that stuff. I wanna know where you came from. What’s your background? Your family? Do you have brothers or sisters? What’s your best friend’s name? That kind of stuff?” Ella explains. She really wants to get to know Erin on a more personal level. She wants to know Erin more than on a servant level.

Erin closes her eyes. “I can’t do this.” She starts to panic. “I can’t. I should go.” Erin stands up from the chair. “Do you want me to get Carm? Do you want me to find Carm? I could-“

Ella grabs Erin’s wrist, stopping Erin’s words in their tracks. It worked for Ella once. She knew it would work again. “Wait.” Ella says softly. “Don’t go. Not yet.”

Erin looks down at the hand around her wrist for the second time in as many days. She gives in. Something inside her gives up the fight. “Okay.” Erin sighs and sits back down in the chair. “But, can we talk about something else?”

Ella nods. She slides her hand down to Erin’s hand and takes hold of it. “Fair enough.” She agrees. “Do you know what Carm does in here every night?” Ella asks. Erin shakes her head. Of course Erin doesn’t know. “We talk. We goof around. We pull pranks on unsuspecting servants.” Ella jokes. “She’s my friend. Yes, she does help me. During the day mostly. She’s my personal assistant. I don’t like the word servant. But, after dinner- we’re buddies- as Carm puts it. We talk and joke. Sure, she helps me out of my day clothes and into my nightgown but other than that we are just friends in the evening. She helps me bathe on bath day. And she braids my hair afterwards. But it’s more than that.” Ella tells Erin patiently.

“That’s nice.” Erin comments. She doesn’t know why the princess is telling her all this.

“I would like that with you too.” Ella goes on.

Erin’s jaw drops open. “What?” She asks dumbly. Ella giggles and it makes the corners of Erin’s lips turn up. Erin’s shock turns into a slight smile.

“You look like a nice boy. I would like to be friends with you.” The princess says honestly.

“But, I-“ Erin nearly spills the beans on the whole not being a boy thing. Erin takes a deep breath. “Okay.” Erin nods.

Ella gives Erin’s hand a squeeze. Erin smiles and squeezes back. “Carm was right.” Ella grins. Erin narrows her eyes at the princess wanting to know what Carm told the princess. “You do have strong hands.”

Erin ducks her head. She removes her hand from Ella and covers her face with both hands. How embarrassing. “I could kill her.” Erin mumbles into her hands.

Ella laughs.

They talk a little while longer. About the weather, how nice the days have been. Ella asks Erin a little about her work. Cutting the grass and keeping up the gardens. When the princess yawns Erin decides that it time for her to go. She stands. “It’s been a nice evening, Ella.”

“Are you leaving?” Ella pouts.

“Yes, I just saw you yawn. And it’s probably late enough.” Erin returns the chair to the corner where she got it from. She goes back around the bed and collects the tea tray from the bedside table. “Have a good night, Ella.” Erin smiles at the princess. Which Ella returns.

“You too, Aaron.” Ella says.

Erin steps into the hallway and looks around quickly. She stops dead in her tracks. At the end of the hallway is the queen. The queen raises an eyebrow at Erin. Her hands placed firmly on her hips. “You better get outta here boy before someone sees you.” The queen threatens.

Erin scampers off as fast as she can. She hurries down the hall, down the stairs, and into the kitchen. Erin returns the tea tray to the kitchen before taking the stairs to the servant’s quarters. It’s quiet and dark and everyone is asleep. Erin climbs onto her cot quickly and as quietly as possible.

There’s a tap on her shoulder and Erin nearly jumps out of her cot. “How’d it go?” Is whispered in her ear. It’s Carm. Erin looks to her right and barely sees the top of Carm’s head. She’s either crouched down on kneeling on the floor. Erin can’t tell in the dark.

“You’re such a little shit.” Erin tells her. “You set this up, didn’t you? Did you employee Thomas in this scheme too?”

Carm shrugs. “Maybe and no.” Carm answers. “Thomas didn’t have anything to do with it. That’s was just a bonus. I knew he would come ask you.” Carm pauses for a second. “So, it went well?” She asks.

“I guess.” Erin says coyly.

Carm smacks Erin on the arm. “Boy, you better not have screwed this up. This was your shot. You can deny it all day, but I know you have a crush on the princess.” Carm goes on.

“Carm, listen to me. I. Don’t. Have. A. Crush. On. The. Princess. Or whatever you call it. Not only is that inappropriate, it’s against the rules. A servant can’t be with a royal.” Erin wants to say ‘not to mention I’m a girl and not a boy’ but doesn’t. “It’s not a possibility. It’s not a thing. It won’t ever be a thing. It can’t be. My time this evening with the princess did go well, but the most we can ever be is friends. Like you and the princess are friends.” Erin thinks back to Ella asking to be friends with her this evening and a smile tugs at her lips. “Someone to talk to and joke with. Now enough about this crush nonsense. Go to bed.” Erin tells Carm.

“You’re no fun.” Carm huffs and gets up off the floor and returns to her own cot.

Erin lays there and thinks about this ‘crush’ nonsense. She knows it’s wrong. She knows that nothing can come of it, but if Erin is being honest with herself she does have a little crush on the princess. She thinks that’s probably why she’s always so nervous around the princess.

Who could blame Erin? She thinks the princess is beautiful. From day one she’s thought that. With her golden hair, those inviting hazel eyes, and that perfect smile. Erin thinks back to the first day that she met the princess. In all her nervousness she still recognized the beauty in the princess. She was honestly the prettiest girl that Erin’s ever seen, and not just because she’s a princess. That doesn’t have anything to do with it.

These thoughts that Erin is having are scary. She doesn’t know what to do with them. It scares her how much she likes the princess. Even in their limited interaction. She knows the rules. She knows that nothing can happen.

* * *

 

The next day at lunch Carm finds Erin as soon as she enters the room. “You’re the one who’s a little shit.” Carm smacks Erin on the back causing Erin to choke on her soup.

“Excuse me?” Erin coughs.

“The princess has had a smile on her face all morning.” Carm says with a grin.

Erin raises an eyebrow. “So?”

“So?” Carm squawks, getting the attention from a few other servants sitting around them. Carm lowers her voice to a whisper. “You did that, buddy.”

Erin shakes her head. “I didn’t do anything.” She returns to eating her lunch.

“Bullshit.” Carm yells. A few people scowl at her but Carm doesn’t care. Let them think what they want. “Whatever you did last night has that girl smiling from ear to ear today.” Carm says a little quieter.

Erin shrugs and continues eating. She doesn’t know what has the princess smiling today, but it certainly isn’t her. Erin figures the princess probably has tons of things that she could be smiling about. All Erin did was sit next to the bed and chat with the princess. It’s the same thing Carm does every day, according to the princess. It has to be something else that has the princess smiling.

“I don’t know, Carm. Let’s just drop it.” Erin tells her.

* * *

 

Ben and Erin meet in the groundskeeper’s shed after lunch. They proceed with their daily garden clean-up duties. Erin wants to do a good job. Not that she doesn’t usually, but she wants to put something extra into her work today. She’s so involved in her work that Erin doesn’t hear someone coming up behind her. She jumps at the tap on her shoulder and spins around to face the culprit.

“You scared the shit out of me- oh!” Erin falters when she sees the princess standing before her. She swallows thick. “Hello, Princess.” Erin smiles, guilty. She knows she shouldn’t have yelled at the princess like that. She didn’t know it was the princess though.

“Hello, Aaron.” The princess replies with a big smile. She isn’t bothered by Erin’s shouts.

“Let me just finish here and then you can sit.” Erin sweeps of the bench so the princess can sit.

“Thank you.” The princess says.

Erin nods. “You’re very welcome, Princess.” Erin smiles wide.

Carm clears her throat from a few feet away. It gets both Erin and the princess’s attention. Erin stands up tall. Rigid. She doesn’t want to give Carm anything to use against her. Erin knows Carm is watching her interaction with the princess closely.

“Have a good rest of your day, Princess.” Erin tips her cap to the princess, then leaves the garden with Ben.

Carm gets the princess all set in the garden before taking off in Erin’s direction. She’s determined to talk with Erin. She finds Erin not far from the shed. “What was that?” Carm speaks up, announcing her presence.

Erin lets out a long sigh. “What was what?” She asks Carm.

“Don’t play dumb.” Carm warns Erin. “That whole polite ‘you’re very welcome’ bullshit.”

“I was just being polite.” Erin counters. “There’s nothing wrong with that.” She defends her actions. She didn’t do anything that was out of order or against the rules.

Carm rolls her eyes. “Whatever.” She chuckles and shakes her head. She just can’t believe it. “I was the one who set this up and now I’m left out of the loop.” Carm complains.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Carm.” Erin comes back with.

These early afternoon walks that they are taking are quickly becoming a regular thing. It fits so well. Erin has to wait for Ben to take his nap and Carm has to wait for the princess to be finished in the garden.

“Will you at least tell me what happened last night?” Carm asks after a few moments of silence.

“I thought I did.” Erin grins.

“You did no such thing.” Carm grabs Erin by the elbow and stops them both. “I want to know what happened in the princess’s room.” Carm demands. It’s driving her crazy. She knows something must have happened. She’s never seen the princess act the way she was acting this morning. Smiling and happy for no apparent reason.

Erin sighs. Carm’s really not going to let this go, so she might as well tell her the details. “Okay, well I poured the princess her tea. After that I asked where you were. Then I sat in a chair next to her bed and we talked. Well, she did most of the talking. I just listened a lot. That was about it.” Erin summarizes her time with the princess as best as she can.

“Really?” Carm asks in disbelief.

“Yes, really.”

“Huh?” Carm grunts. “I mean with the smiling and everything I would’ve thought-“ She cuts herself off. Carm was sure there had to have been more than that. She was sure that something more than just talking had taken place with the way the princess was acting this morning.

“Thought what, Carm?” Erin asks and starts walking again. “I don’t know what has the princess all smiley today, but I don’t think it’s me. Like I said, we just talked. Of all people you would probably know the princess the best. I’m sure you’ll figure out the reason she’s so smiley today.” Erin reasons with Carm. Erin doesn’t know much about the princess, but there has to be many possible reasons why she seems really happy today.

* * *

 

Erin spends most of her afternoon watering the plants and flowers around the castle grounds. It hasn’t rained in a few weeks and the plants are starting the show the effects.

At dinner, Erin spots Carm and goes to sit next to her. “So, you figure it out yet?” Erin asks.

Carm groans. “No!” She shovels her soup into her mouth. “I even asked her flat out and she wouldn’t tell me.” Carm isn’t happy with not finding out after a whole day. “I’m so annoyed. I usually know everything that is going on with the princess.” Carm complains.

“I’m sure you’ll figure it out, Carm. Don’t fret.” Erin encourages.


	5. Chapter 5

The week continues on. Thomas and Erin work on fixing up the driveway and gardens for the company that is arriving in the coming days. A king and his son from a neighboring kingdom are going to be visiting the castle. The whole castle is buzzing about the impending visitors. The female servants all gossip about the prince that will soon be inside the castle and they speculate about how handsome he will be.

Erin and Ben’s day off is the day before the prince and king are set to arrive. She does her wash first thing after breakfast. She bathes and naps for the rest of the morning. In the afternoon, Erin heads down to the stables where all the horses and other animals are. There are cows and chickens and sheep and pigs. Every animal serves it’s purpose. The castle gets something from each. Erin brushes and pets the horses. No one bothers her and it turns out to be a nice, relaxing afternoon.

“Hey, Carm.” Erin says as the blonde sits down next to her at dinner.

“Hey.” Carm starts on her meal right away. After a few minutes of slurping Carm speaks again. “You wanna bring the princess her evening tea?”

Erin sighs like it’s a burden to her. “Sure.” She agrees though.

Erin finishes her dinner and goes to the kitchen to get the tea. She gets to Thomas before Thomas could get to her. Erin brings the tea up to the princess’s room and knocks on the door.

The princess shouts for Erin to enter the room. Erin pushes the door open, careful not to spill the tea. She shuts the door with her foot and looks across the room for the first time. The princess stands by the window with her back to Erin. Her exposed back to Erin. The back of the princess nightgown is untied and open.

“Uh.” Erin stutters.

“Could you help me with this. Carm usually ties it up. I can usually do it myself but can’t seem to get it today.” The princess explains.

“Sure, just let me put this down.” Erin brings the tea tray over to the bedside table and sets it down before walking over to Ella. “Sorry if my hands are too abrasive. I work in the garden all day, remember.” Erin apologizes. “I’m not used to working with delicate fabrics.” Erin reaches out for the ties on the back of Ella’s nightgown. She tugs them tight. “That’s not too tight, is it?” Erin asks but doesn’t get a response. “Princess?” She questions.

“Ella.” Ella says. “No, it’s not too tight. Just tie it up, please.”

Erin does as she’s told. Her eyes trace the little bits of Ella’s exposed skin as she ties the gown as gently as she possibly can. “All done.” She pats Ella lightly on the shoulder.

“Thank you.” Ella spins around so that they are facing each other and smiles.

“Are you excited about the visitors that are coming tomorrow?” Erin asks. She wants to know more about these visitors. Erin figures Ella probably knows more about the visitors than she does.

“Not really.” Ella shrugs.

Erin wrinkles up her brow. She thought Ella would be excited about tomorrow. She’s the one who said it can get boring around the castle. A couple of guests must be anything but boring. And it’s a prince coming to visit. According to the hype around the castle, it’s a big deal.

“Can I have my tea?” Ella asks and climbs into bed.

“I thought you could get it yourself.” Erin says.

“Then why are you still here?” Ella jumps in.

“That’s what you said last week. That you could get it yourself.” Erin shoots back right away.

“And last week, you said you wanted to do it for me.” Ella grins triumphantly.

“Well played, Princess.” Erin replies and starts pouring the tea. Ella narrows her eyes at Erin. Erin sees her out of the corner of her eye. “Sorry. Ella.” Erin apologizes. “I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to that.” Erin admits. She hands the tea cup to Ella and like last week goes to get the chair from the corner and sets it up next to Ella’s bed. Erin sits down and Ella starts talking. Erin spaces out to the sound of her voice.

A few minutes later Ella smacks Erin on the arm to get her attention back. “Are you even listening?” She asks the servant.

“Yeah.” Erin replies. “Something about your dad meeting with the king that’s coming tomorrow.” Erin grins, hoping to save her own ass. She wasn’t really paying attention to what Ella was talking about.

Ella frowns. “More or less. But pay attention.” Ella insists.

“Is there gonna be a test afterwards?” Erin asks smugly.

Ella smacks Erin on the arm again. “No. Smartass.” She chides.

Erin smiles. “Sorry. I’ll pay attention. She apologizes.

“Just for that I think you have to tell me something about yourself.” Ella says to her.

Erin gets nervous and starts looking around the room. For a way out of this. “Uh- Ok- I have an older sister and a younger sister.” Erin tells the princess.

“That’s not about you.” Ella says.

Erin thinks quickly. “I come from a small village in the northwestern part of the kingdom. It’s cool and damp there most of the year. There’s not much going on, either.” Erin explains a little about the village she grew up in.

“That’s better.” Ella says with a happy smile. She’s glad she got something somewhat personal out of Erin.

“Yeah, well.” Erin shrugs it off.

“So, tomorrow what do you have to do?” Ella asks. She knows tomorrow is a busy day for most of the castle servants. There is extra to prepare for the arrival of the guests.

Erin hums. “Not much. Stay hidden. Well, not hidden but you know what I mean. Stay out of the way, I guess.” Erin says easily. It’s so much easier for her to talk about her work. “In the morning Ben and I have to re-rake the driveway so it looks good for the guests. In the afternoon we’ll probably be working on the back of the property. Out of sight. What about you?” Erin asks. She wants to know what is required of the princess for a day like tomorrow.

“Oh, I have to do a bunch of boring stuff. Meetings, lunches, dinners, conversations. I’m not really looking forward to it.” Ella admits. She finds it easy to be open and honest with Erin.

Erin doesn’t want to judge or comment on the situation but to her it sounds like Ella doesn’t much like being a princess and doing princess things. “I should probably let you rest then. Sounds like you have a big day ahead of you tomorrow.” Erin gets up out of the chair.

“Don’t remind me.” Ella mumbles.

Erin takes the chair back over to the corner before getting the tea tray. She crosses the room to the door. “Goodnight.” Erin says to Ella simply before leaving. Ella whispers it back.

This time when Erin exits the princess room she doesn’t see the queen. She’s thankful. She doesn’t want to get into any trouble. When she saw the queen at the end of the hallway the last time it scared Erin half to death. She walked around the whole next day terrified that the queen had told the king or someone else about seeing her come out of Ella’s room and that she would be in trouble.

Carm doesn’t bother her when she gets back to her cot. And Erin goes to sleep with a happy smile on her face.

* * *

 

The next day is crazy. Servants running every which direction trying to get everything they need to done before the king and prince show up. Erin doesn’t see Carm until lunch and, even then, it’s brief. Carm practically dumps her bowl of soup down her throat and leaves. Carm was already gone in the morning when Erin got up for breakfast.

Erin goes about her day with Ben relatively chaos free. They see the carriage that holds the castle’s visitors pull up to the front of the castle from where they are working. They are too far away to see the visitors very well but they certain know that it’s the king and his son. Everything that Erin sees that day is observed from afar. But, it appears the regular castle schedule has been discarded during this visit. Ben and Erin clean up the garden behind the castle like usual but Carm and Ella never visit it during the day.

At dinner, Carm walks in looking exhausted. “Hey buddy.” Her voice doesn’t have it’s usual chipper sound. She plops down on the bench next to Erin with her bowl of soup. “I hope your day was less chaotic than mine.” Carm grumbles.

“Probably.” Erin says with sympathy. “Is your day almost over?” She asks. Carm looks beyond tired and Erin hopes she doesn’t have a lot of work left to do for the day.

“Yeah, just gotta put the princess to bed later.” Carm informs her friend.

“What about her dinner?” Erin asks.

“Oh, I’m not allowed in the dining room today.” Carm starts on her soup.

Erin wonders what that means but doesn’t question it out loud. She’s sure Carm has had enough for the day and doesn’t want to bother her further.

* * *

 

Carm’s gone again the next morning before breakfast. Erin and Ben are trimming trees along the east side of the castle property when they see a carriage pull up to the front of the castle.

The visiting king stands outside the carriage along with King William and Queen Anne. They exchange handshakes and kisses on the cheek. They exchange farewells and King William bids the other king safe travels.

Behind them, closer to the castle steps, is the visiting prince and Princess Ella. It’s the first time Erin has seen the two of them together in the last two days. Actually, Erin didn’t see the princess at all the day before. The young handsome prince leans down and kisses the princess on the cheek. He holds her hand and bends at the waist to place a kiss on the back of her hand.

Erin’s stomach does a flip. Like one of those nervous flips, but she knows she’s not nervous right now. She loses concentration and her balance. Either the ladder she’s standing on wobbles or she does. She’s not sure. With a little yelp Erin reaches out and grabs a branch of the tree to steady herself before she falls off of the ladder. Erin looks around, her heart pounding. Everyone within earshot heard her yelp and are now staring at her. That includes the king, queen, princess, and their visitors. Erin’s face heats red.

“I need a water break, Ben.” She tells him and starts climbing down the ladder rungs. Erin walks away from the work area embarrassed. She hides in the groundskeeper’s shed until lunch. Ben never comes to find her.

Carm’s already at the table when Erin gets to lunch. She plops down dejectedly next to the other servant. “Hey buddy. Rough morning?” Carm asks.

“You could say that.” Erin grumbles.

“What happened with you and the ladder?” Carm asks in between spoonfuls of soup. Carm already knows the basics of what happened. Gossip floats around the castle at super speed.

“Don’t ask, please.” Erin grumbles. “It’s embarrassing.”

“Okay, doesn’t matter. I already know enough.” Carm shrugs. Erin looks over at Carm with wrinkled brow. “The servants talk, remember.”

“Right.” Erin nods. She remembers. “You might know. What where the visiting king and prince doing here? Like, what was the purpose of their visit?” It a question Erin has been wondering ever since she saw the group out in front of the castle right before her ladder incident.

Carm frowns and puts a palm on Erin forearm. “I don’t know if you want to know the answer to that question.” Carm grimaces.

“Please, Carm, just tell me.” Erin begs. She knows if she doesn’t get an answer it’s gonna bother her.

“Okay. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Carm cautions. “It’s a bit of a long story but I’ll try to condense it. The princess is fifteen, soon to be sixteen in a few months. If you don’t know what that means, let me tell you. That means that it’s time to start looking for a husband for the princess. That’s why the prince and his father were here visiting. They are looking for someone for the princess to marry.” Carm finalizes.

That only confirms Erin’s suspicions. “I wouldn’t want to be the princess.” Erin mumbles.

“I hear ya, buddy. I hear ya.” Carm agrees.

Erin somberly eats her soup and sluffs outside to clean up the garden for the princess’s afternoon arrival. What Carm told her at lunch shouldn’t change anything, but it does. It changes something inside Erin. She makes sure that she and Ben are done and out of the garden before Carm and Ella arrive there.

She is walking the property line, during Ben’s nap, when Carm catches up with her. “The princess was looking for you.” Carm says as soon as she walks up to Erin.

“When?” Erin asks, in monotone.

“In the garden, just now. We ususally see you and Ben there.” Carm says, trying to get Erin to reveal why they weren’t in the garden today.

“I don’t want to see her right now.” Erin says, only just now realizing that her words are true. “It bums me out, okay.” She grumbles.

“Okay, but can I ask why?” Carm asks carefully.

“Why does it bum me out?” Erin asks, kicking at the ground. “Cuz- I- I made a friend just to find out it’s not gonna last.” Erin explains to Carm what she’s thinking.

“You don’t know that.” Carm counters.

“Yeah, I do. In what, a couple of months, they find somebody who’s a match for the princess. If they haven’t already. And they get married and she’ll be off to some other kingdom or territory or wherever to live and that’ll be it. That’s how it works, right?” Erin looks over at Carm for a second before continuing. “You can’t tell me I’m wrong. Cuz I’m not. It’s bad news for you too, ya know? You’ll lose a friend and a job. You’ll be out. Unless the king reassigns you to another job. It’s actually worse for you.” Erin chuckles cryptically. “At least I’ll still have my job, a roof over my head, and food to eat. You could be on the streets.” Erin says grimly.

“Wow. I don’t know how you can think like that.” Carm is surprised. She’s never heard Erin speak this negatively before.

“I’m just speaking the truth.” Erin shrugs. “That’s the reality of the situation. I won’t even have you as a friend either, if you’re gone, that is.” Erin mumbles sadly.

“Wow, you’re depressing.” Carm groans. She didn’t expect this. “Aaron, you can’t think like that. You don’t know what gonna happen. Anything is possible. Nothing’s impossible.” Carm tells her.

“But, the rules, Carm. The rules.” It’s all Erin says before walking away from Carm to mope somewhere else alone.

Erin skips dinner that night and goes straight to bed.

* * *

 

Erin puts her whole focus into her work. That’s the only thing that matters now. Plus, there’s a certain kind of solace in that. Her work isn’t everything in the world, but it won’t disappoint her. Her work, it won’t get up and walk away never to be seen again. It won’t leave her like so many people in her life have already.

She avoids the princess at all costs. Erin even manages to avoid Carm for the most part. Carm doesn’t seem to seek her out either. They don’t eat meals together or interact in the little free time that they have. It’s not until her next day off that Erin has a run in with Carm.

“Hey Aaron. Can I talk to you?” Carm half yells as she runs to catch up to Erin as she enters the woods behind the castle.

“I’d prefer it if you didn’t.” Erin voices. “But, I’m sure that’s not gonna happen.” Erin rolls her eyes. She readies herself for another speech from Carm.

“Ha-ha.” Carm mocks. She doesn’t like what’s happening. “She’s been asking about you.” Carm figures if she leads with that it will get Erin’s attention and they can talk.

“So?” Erin snips back.

Maybe Carm was wrong. “So? Don’t you care?” Carm ask, getting to the emotions right away.

“Not really.” Erin shrugs. She’s trying so hard to not care.

“She wants to know where you’ve been. And if you’re avoiding her.” Carm tells Erin.

“I’m right here.” Erin yells, throwing her arms out to her sides in frustration. “I didn’t go anywhere. I’m not the one who’s going somewhere.” Erin yells. “Do we have to do this? Can’t we just let it be what it is?” She questions in a lower voice.

“Ya know, friendship’s a two-way street.” Carm says.

“What?” Erin asks. Her face all wrinkled up in anger and confusion. “You don’t make any sense, Carm.” Erin sits down. She’s managed to make it to the stream. She starts to undo her shoes and take them off. Erin rolls the bottoms of her pants up and sticks her feet in the water.

Carm stands behind Erin and off to her right. “It means you are her friend just as much as she is your friend. It means you’re being a shitty friend right now.” Carm explains.

“I don’t care. I can’t see her.” Erin mumbles.

“Why?” Carm asks, sitting down next to Erin.

“Just leave me alone, Carm.” Erin groans. She doesn’t want to do this. She doesn’t want to think about it. She doesn’t want to think about anything. It’s too much.

“Why, Aaron? Why?” Carm prods.

“Because I just can’t.” Erin huffs.

“Why?” Carm asks again.

“I just can, okay?” Erin rolls her eyes.

“Why can’t you?” Carm pushes. She’s gonna push until she gets something out of Erin.

“Because you were fucking right, Carm.” Erin spits her words at Carm like they’re poison. “You were right and I have these weird feelings towards the princess. It’s probably more than I’m even willing to admit. Which isn’t good. So yeah, you were right and I’m even more fucked now than I was before. Before, I was okay. I would have been okay with being her friend and just seeing her around the castle every day. But, I didn’t think. I didn’t think of the reality. She’ll marry someone and move to some far away land. So, I can’t see her. It’ll make it that much worse when she leaves. If it just ends now before anyone gets too invested. Before I get too invested. It will be less painful this way.” Erin wipes at her wet eyes with the back of her hand.

Carm puts a gentle hand on Erin’s back. “Oh, buddy.” Carm says sadly. “I’m sorry.”

“Yeah, me too.” Erin chuckles cynically. “Me too.”

There’s silence between the two of them for several minutes. Carm rubs Erin’s back softly and Erin tries to collect herself. “Please don’t tell the princess _any_ of this.” Erin asks of Carm. “If you have to tell her something about why she hasn’t been seeing me around and won’t be seeing me around. Lie. Make something up. I don’t care what it is. Say I’m too busy with work. Or I don’t know- something. Tell her whatever you want. Just not the truth.” Carm raises an eyebrow at Erin. “I know I’m being a shitty friend. You think I don’t know that. It’s too much for me right now. I can’t do it. Tell her whatever you need to tell her. Even if it means she hates me. I don’t care. I just want her to be happy and live the life she’s destined to have. I don’t want to mess that up.” Erin finishes.

Carm sighs. “I don’t like it, but I’ll do as you ask.” She tells Erin.

“Thank you.” Erin sniffles. “I’m gonna go for a walk now. Alone.” She gets up and puts her shoes back on and walks off into the woods leaving Carm behind at the stream.

Everyone leaves Erin alone for the rest of the day.

* * *

 

The next morning Erin sees Carm at the breakfast table and goes to sit by her.

“Morning, buddy.” Carm greets.

“Morning.” Erin says and starts on her food. “So, did you talk to her?” She needs to know.

“Who?” Carm grins.

“You know who.” Erin groans. She doesn’t have time for Carm’s games today.

“I don’t think I do. There’s lots of her’s that I talk to every day.” Carm plays.

Erin groans and smashes her palm against the tabletop. “Cut the crap. You know who I’m talking about.”

Carm raises her hands in front of herself in defense. “Woah! Okay.” She sighs. “I talked to her. She’s not very happy. She doesn’t understand.” Carm says.

Erin frowns. “What did you tell her?” She asks. She thought this would be easier than it is.

“Just that you are very busy with work and don’t have time to be her friend.” Carm tells Erin carefully. She’s expecting some sort of anger from her buddy.

Erin just nods. “Okay.” She says with finality. She’s resigned herself to her fate. Sadly.

“Hang in there, buddy.” Carm pats Erin on the back as she gets up from the table. Carm hates to see people sad. Especially people that she’s close with.

* * *

 

Erin’s out in the west garden when she hears footsteps approaching from behind her. She figures it’s Ben and doesn’t bother to turn around. He can approach her. She’s pruning back the roses in the garden and really wants to get it done. Pruning roses is probably one of the task Erin likes the least. Ben left her to do it alone since she’s done it a number of times already since she’s been at the castle. She has the experience needed and Ben trusts her with the task.

Erin glances over her shoulder quickly expecting to see Ben. Instead, she sees the last person she was expecting to see. The last person she wanted to see. “Good morning, Princess.” Erin greets politely, like a good servant. Even if she doesn’t want to see the princess she can’t do anything about it if the princess is the one to approach Erin. “Where’s Carm?” The princess’s servant is nowhere to be seen.

Ella comes to a stop at Erin’s side. “I ditched her. She’s probably searching the castle top to bottom for me right now.” Ella explains.

“Oh.” Erin’s mumbles. She’s surprised by the princess’s boldness right now. She tries to remain focused on pruning the roses, but Erin’s thoughts start to wander from the task at hand. “Why did you ditch her?” Curiosity gets the best of Erin. She doesn’t want to see or talk to the princess, but now that she’s in her presence she can’t just ran away. Rules. The princess sought her out so she must hold the princess’s company.

“Cuz I had to talk to you.” Ella says.

Erin startles at the response. The nerves rise inside her suddenly. This is about her. “M-me?” Erin stutters nervously.

“Yes you, silly.” Ella reaches out and put her hand on Erin’s elbow.

It startles an already jumpy Erin and she gets pricked by a rose thorn. “Oww. Shit.” Erin looks down at her finger. It’s bleeding and it hurts. Not knowing what else to do she sticks her finger in her mouth.

“Are you okay?” Ella asks, squeezing at Erin’s elbow.

“Yeah.” Erin mumbles around the finger in her mouth.

“Let me look at it.” Ella insists.

Erin turns, finally, to Ella, so that they are face to face and raises an eyebrow at the princess. “I said, I’m fine.” She gets defensive. Erin can take care of herself. It’s just a stupid little rose thorn that poked her finger and caused her to bleed. She pulls her finger out of her mouth to look at it herself. “The bleeding’s stopped.” She says. “See.’ She offers her hand towards Ella as proof.

The princess quickly grabs Erin’s hand and pulls it close to her face to have a proper look. “Looks like there’s a thorn stuck in there.” Ella comments.

“I’ll be fine.” Erin say and tries to pull her hand away from the princess but Ella holds tight. They lock eyes. “Give me my hand back.” Erin says meekly.

“You need to get this out so it doesn’t get infected.” Ella holds firmly onto Erin’s hand. She holds Erin’s eyes with her own.

“Why do you care?” Erin questions defensively.

“Because I’m your friend.” Ella says with a tight-lipped smile. “Contrary to what you might think.” Ella throws out.

Erin hangs her head feeling sorry for herself. Ella’s calling her out on her shit. On her shitty behavior and being a shitty friend. “I’m sorry.” Erin gives in.

Ella lowers their hands to her side so they’re not in between them. She still holds onto it though. She doesn’t let go. She won’t let go of Erin’s hand. “Don’t apologize. Well, do. But, I would prefer it if you told me what was going on. I can’t read your mind.” Ella states.

Erin sighs. “I should get back to work.” She wants to avoid this conversation if at all possible.

“Aaron, please?” Ella swings their linked hands between them. “I don’t understand.”

Erin pulls her hand away from Ella. “I know. And I’m sorry. But, I can’t.” Erin turns away from the princess and resumes pruning the roses. She expects Ella to leave but the princess doesn’t. Somehow, Ella never does quite what Erin expects. Ella stands there with her arms folded over her chest. Erin glances over at the princess. “Don’t you have things you should be doing, Princess?” Erin says, trying to the princess to leave her alone.

“I do. But, it can wait. It’s just school lessons.” Ella states.

Erin rolls her eyes. What was she thinking. Ella’s the princess, she can basically do whatever she wants. Erin knows that the princess won’t leave her alone until she gets what she came here for. “What do you want?” Erin asks. She knows it’s the quickest way to get the princess to leave.

“My friend back.” Ella claims. It shocks Erin. That the princess is so bold. “Is it something that I did?” Ella asks.

“No!” Erin nearly yells. The answer is actually more of a yes than a no but Erin also knows the reasons are out of Ella’s control. The answer is that Ella just simply existed and it is Erin’s problem and not anything Ella did.

Erin takes a deep breath. If this little argument or disagreement is going to get solved, Erin is going to have to take the loss. “Fine. Whatever you want.” She gives into the very stubborn princess. Erin continues with her pruning duties thankful to have put the subject to rest. “I’ll see you after lunch in the garden. Now, please, go find Carm before she sends out a search party for you.” Erin tells the princess.

Arms wrap around Erin’s midsection from behind and Ella’s front presses up against her back. Erin freezes as the princess hugs her tightly. The princess shouldn’t really even be touching Erin, let alone hugging her. Rules.

“Okay. Okay.” Erin tries to get Ella to let go. She looks over her shoulder back at the girl but all she sees is Ella’s face a few inches away from hers.

Ella is looking back at her with a large smile on her face. “Thank you.” She says around a smile.

“Yeah.” Erin mumbles and Ella finally releases her hug.

Erin goes back to pruning the roses but can’t seem to concentrate anymore. She turns around and watches as the princess walks back to the castle. She stands in the spot long after the princess has disappeared from sight. Erin thinks about the princess. About the princess’s arms around her and how good it felt. That crush she had on the princess hasn’t gone anywhere.

“Damn it.” Erin groans. She shakes her head trying to shake the thoughts of the princess away. Those feelings she told Carm about haven’t gone away like Erin had hoped they would by distancing herself from the princess.


	6. Chapter 6

After lunch Ben and Erin are in the garden cleaning up. Erin is sweeping the cobblestone pathways and Ben is cleaning off the bench when Carm and Ella arrive.

“Good afternoon, Princess.” Erin greets first.

Carm looks over at Erin curiously, but Erin ignores the curly-haired servant. “We’ll be done in a matter of moments and get out of your way so you can enjoy this beautiful afternoon.” Erin continues and returns to her sweeping duties.

“Thank you very much, Aaron. The garden looks great. You’re doing a mighty fine job.” Ella replies.

Carm stands there, speechless, with her mouth hanging open.

“I’m finished.” Ben announces a few moments later. “I’ll be in the shed, Aaron. Have a lovely afternoon, Princess.” Ben tips his cap to her.

“Yes, have a lovely afternoon, Princess.” Erin repeats what Ben just said and smiles at the princess before following Ben out of the garden.

“I will.” The princess confirms with a smile.

Erin’s walking slowly back to the shed with her broom when Carm catches up to her. Carm runs up beside Erin and smacks her on the arm.

“Oww.” Erin whines and rubs at her upper arm.

“What the hell was that back there?” Carm asks. She’s baffled by what she just saw.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Erin gives Carm some of the crap that Carm always gives her.

“Seriously, what the hell, man?” Carm says.

Erin shrugs. They arrive at the shed and Erin puts her tools away.

“Shall we walk?” Erin gestures out in front of them with her hand. She’s open to have a short walk with Carm. Erin’s missed walking with Carm the last few days.

Carm nods and they start they’re walk. “What happened?” She asks all excited. Erin’s like a different person than she was in the morning. Carm is happy that Erin’s mood has seemed to shift.

Erin shrugs. “The princess hunted me down this morning. An ambush. I didn’t see it coming.” Erin says dramatically.

“That’s where that little shit went.” Carm comments.

“Yeah, I’m gonna blame you for that one.” Erin teases.

“She asked me to go get her some tea cuz she had a sore throat. I came back and she was gone.” Carm explains what happened and how the princess got away from her. Erin chuckles a little. “It’s not funny.” Carm grumbles. “I could’ve gotten in trouble if something had happened to her.”

“Sorry.” Erin smiles in apology.

“So, what happened?” Carm asks again.

“She’s stubborn and always gets what she wants.” Erin says simply.

“I know that.” Carm whines. “Tell me something I don’t know. What happened?”

Erin shrugs. She thinks back to her encounter with the princess in the morning. “I’m not entirely sure but I’m required to be her friend again. Basically, she wouldn’t leave me alone unless I agreed.” Erin explains to Carm. “And I got a rose thorn in my finger.” She holds out her hand for Carm to see. “You know how to get that out?”

Carm takes a look at Erin’s finger. “Yeah.” She nods. “We’ll soak it tonight.” She tells Erin. Erin nods. It’s quiet for a moment. Carm expects Erin to continue but she doesn’t. “Wait. Was that it? Is that the whole story?” Carm asks Erin.

“Well, pretty much.” Erin bites at her bottom lip.

“What? What aren’t you telling me?” Carm raises an eyebrow at Erin.

“She hugged me.” Erin whispers and then looks around to make sure nobody heard her but there’s nobody around them.

Carm’s eyes go wide. “Wow.” She mumbles.

“I know.”

“Damn, boy.” Carm comments off hand. She’s surprised by Ella’s boldness. There are rules after all but Ella never seems to abide by them, so it shouldn’t really surprise Carm. But she’s surprised by something. “So, what about the whole crush thing and her marrying someone in the near future?” Carm asks. That was one of Erin’s major problems with all of this.

Erin shrugs. She’s not sure about everything. “I think it’s probably more than just a crush. I really like her and not cuz she’s a princess. That doesn’t matter to me. But that being said, I know she’ll marry some prince or lord or duke or something. I’ve accepted that fact but I’m gonna try to not think about that till it happens. I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it. I don’t know what’s gonna happen. No one does. I’m just gonna let things happen how they are supposed to and not fight against anything.” Erin tells Carm honestly. It feels good to get off of her chest.

“Well, this is interesting.” Carm says, digesting the information.

“Mmhhmm.” Erin agrees.

They walk to the edge of the property in silence until Carm hears something and stops the both of them. “Listen.” She listens closely and hears it again.

“Carm.” Is yelled into the afternoon air.

It’s the princess’s voice and as soon as Carm hears it she takes off running in the direction of the garden. On instinct Erin runs after her.

“What’s wrong, princess?” Carm asks out of breath. Erin catches up and stops right next to Carm in front of the princess. “Are you alright?” Carm gasps for air.

“I’m fine.” Ella smirks.

“Then why did you yell for me?” Carm asks sounding a little more composed now but still slightly concerned over the princess.

“I saw you walking over there and I wanted to get you over here.” Ella says and glances over at Erin.

“But, it’s not time for your ‘alone time’ to be done yet.” Carm just doesn’t understand why Ella yelled for her.

“I know.” Ella smiles sneakily.

“Then what is the purpose-“ Carm starts to ask but it suddenly hits her what is happening right now. “You gotta be fucking kidding me. You just wanted to get him over here.” Carm thumbs over to Erin.

“Yup.” Ella nods. “You can go now, Carm.” Ella dismisses her servant. Carm groans and shakes her head. All that running and worrying that the princess was in trouble or needed help and Ella was just using her. Carm rolls her eyes and walks away.

“Is there something you wanted from me?” Erin asks dumbly. She knows that Ella called them over to talk to or get something from Erin.

“Yes.” Ella says simply. “Your company. Come. Sit with me.” The princess suggests.

“I-“ Erin looks around and starts to protest.

Ella pats the spot next to her on the bench. “Please?” She pouts.

Erin slowly walks over and sits down on the bench next to the princess leaving about a foot of space between them. She grips the front edge of the bench nervously with both hands. “So this is a nice spot.” Erin comments for lack of something else to say.

“It is.” Ella agrees

“Princess, I don’t want to get in trouble.” Erin voices her concern. She nervously looks over to Ella.

“It’s Ella.” She puts her left hand over Erin’s right one on the bench edge. “And you won’t.”

“But-“ Erin looks down at their hands. “We’re not in your room.” Erin’s not sure this is okay. The princess said to use her name when they were in her room, but they aren’t in her room right now. What if somebody comes by? And the touching. Erin knows that’s frowned upon if not all together against the rules.

“I know.” Ella says with a smirk. “But, you’re my friend and I want you to use my name instead of princess.” Ella shrugs. Her fingers play with the ones underneath hers. It makes Erin sweat. “At least when no one else is around.” Ella leans closer to Erin. “It would be inappropriate for you to use my name in the presence of others, don’t ya think?”

Erin nods and licks her lips. “Yes.”

“Good.” Ella smiles satisfied. “I like this.” She says. Erin’s not sure what Ella is referring to, but isn’t about to ask. “It’s nice.” Ella flips Erin’s hand over so she can hold it properly. Erin gulps down the lump that has formed in her throat. “Thank you.” Ella says genuinely. Erin just nods, not sure what Ella is thanking her for.

They sit in silence for a few minutes until Ella sees Carm approaching. She squeezes Erin’s hand to alert her of Carm’s presence. Carm’s whistling and making all sorts of noise to make sure that Erin and Ella hear her coming. She doesn’t want to interrupt anything, conversation or otherwise. Ella laughs at Carm’s actions. She squeezes Erin’s hand once more before letting go of it.

“I really like you.” Ella whispers to Erin, then gets up and walks towards Carm. Ella looks over her shoulder as she and Carm are walking back to the castle and smiles at Erin. Erin smiles back automatically.

“Fuck.” Erin mumbles as soon as they disappear inside. She gets up and goes back to work.

* * *

 

Carm finds Erin at dinner. “Well, well, well.” She says as a greeting.

“Hey, Carm.” Erin doesn’t buy into Carm’s tactic. Whatever it might be.

“The princess’s mood seems to have done a complete turn around today.” Carm starts into her ribbing of Erin. “You wouldn’t happen to know why that is, would you?” Carm asks Erin with a quirked eyebrow.

“I don’t know. You’d have to ask the princess herself.” Erin gives Carm a tight-lipped smile and a shrug.

“Oh, I plan on doing just that. After dinner.” Carm tells Erin.

“Carm, no.” Erin whines.

“What? Make up your mind. Should I ask the princess or not.” Carm shakes her head. She wishes Erin would make up her mind on everything princess related.

“You can’t.” Erin says.

“It’s not like I don’t know things. The both of you have told me some things. It’s not like it’s never been brought up before. The princess and I have talked about you.” Carm tells Erin. Erin scowls at her and returns to her soup. Carm gonna do whatever she wants and Erin can’t do anything to stop her.

* * *

 

Erin waits up for Carm. She wants to know what Carm found out from the princess. It’s been bothering her ever since Carm brought it up at dinner. She spots Carm when she comes down and waves her over. “What did she say?” Erin nearly tackles Carm as she comes over.

Carm laughs. “I thought you didn’t want me talking to the princess about her improved mood.” She says through her laughter.

“I didn’t. I don’t.” Erin confirms. Carm laughs more. “But I knew you would anyway so I want to know what you found out.”

“Okay, man. Calm down.” Carm pushes Erin backwards gently so she can get to her cot. She walks over and folds back her blanket.

“I am calm.” Erin insists.

Carm raises an eyebrow at Erin. She can see that Erin is all worked up and, in fact, not calm. “It was just general stuff, but she really likes you buddy.” Carm says with a smile. Erin already knows that. “Though, I don’t know what that means exactly. As a friend? Or potentially more?” Carm shrugs. “But, I’m gonna warn you right now. Dude, that’s like forbidden fruit. You can look, but you can’t touch. Ya know what I’m saying?” Carm asks.

“Yeah, I know.” Erin thinks about what Carm is telling her. She knows. She knows for sure.

“But, whatever you’re doing, buddy, keep doing it cuz I don’t think I’ve even seen the princess so happy.” Carm pats Erin on the back. “Girl won’t stop smiling.” Carm adds.

Erin nods. “I’m not doing much of anything, to be honest. I’ve sat with her a few times and we talked and that’s pretty much it.” Erin admits. She thinks about all the times she’s spent with the princess. She hasn’t done anything special.

“Well, she certainly enjoys your company. That’s for sure.” Carm confirms. Erin nods again, slightly dumbfounded and speechless. She doesn’t know what she’s doing to get the princess to like her so much. She’s just being herself, her sometimes nervous self. “Tomorrow’s your day off. What are you gonna do?” Carm asks Erin.

“I don’t know yet.” Erin tells her. She hasn’t thought about it. But the wheels are turning in her head.

* * *

 

Erin approaches Carm at breakfast the next morning. It’s her day off and she has a plan but she needs Carm’s help. “Carm, I need your help today.”

To Carm, Erin sounds desperate. “Are you in trouble?” She’s worried about Erin.

“No. What?” Erin’s confused. She’s not in trouble. Why would Carm think that?

“You sounded panicked.” Carm tells her.

“No, I- nevermind-“ Erin shakes her head. “What does the princess do for lunch? Like, does she have lunch with her parents or someone else?” Erin asks and a smile comes to Carm’s face.

“No. It’s just me and her at lunch. Why?” She asks, interested in why Erin wants to now the princess’s lunch schedule.

“I was thinking that maybe- you could like- maybe suggest- like a picnic- like eat outside- like with me.” Erin stutters awkwardly. Carm laughs. “What’s so funny?” Erin asks, offended.

“You.” Carm’s laughs start to die down.

“I’m not- listen- is this a possibility or not?” Erin asks, frustrated with Carm.

“Yeah, buddy. I’ll make it happen. Be in the garden at lunch.” Carm tells Erin.

Erin’s face blooms into a happy smile. “Really? Thank you, Carm. I really, really owe you. Thank you.” Erin rambles a little.

Carm laughs. “Yeah, you do. Gotta go. I’ll see you later.” Carm says before she’s off to go attend to the princess.

Erin goes to wash her clothes and wash up. She washes her body with a cloth and washes her hair in the sink. She wears the only other clothes she owns during the day while her work clothes dry. They’re not the nicest, but they’ll have to do. Dressed in her cap, blue shirt, and black pants Erin wants to look her best for her lunch meeting with the princess, but has limited option. She twists her hair and tucks it up into the back of her cap and gets ready for lunch.

She skips the servant’s lunch and goes out to the garden. Erin’s nervous but tries to calm herself down before Carm and Ella arrive. She thinks that it should be better. That she’s should have done better. More. Like prepared food or the setting and not left everything up to Carm.

Erin gets an idea. She hurries to the groundskeeper’s shed and gets her pruning tool and hurries to the west side of the castle to the rose garden. Erin finds the best, fullest, most beautiful red rose and snips it. She hurries back towards the garden behind the castle and sees Carm and Ella already walking out of the castle towards the garden.

Carm has a picnic basket in her hands. Erin slows her pace and decides to let them arrival at the garden first. She hides the red rose behind her back and sticks her pruning tool in her back pants pocket. She walks towards the garden and sees Carm setting out a blanket on the ground under the big maple tree. Ella and Carm both have their backs to Erin.

She walks up behind them and clears her throat. “Good afternoon, Princess.” Erin grins.

The princess spins around at the sound of Erin’s voice with a smile of her face. “Hello, Aaron.” Ella says.

“There you are.” Carm says instead of greeting. “Where were you? I was starting to think I did all this for nothing.” Carm chides.

Erin smiles at the princess. “I had to get something.” She pulls the rose out from behind her back. “For you, Princess.” Erin says charmingly.

Carm rolls her eyes. “Okay, I’m out. Everything’s set up. The food is in the basket.” Carm instructs Erin as she walks past them. She knows that neither of them are really paying that much attention to what she’s saying.

“Thank you.” Ella says to Erin. She takes the rose that Erin holds out for her.

“I’ll be back at the end of ‘alone time’.” Carm adds, but doesn’t get a response.

Ella is busy smelling the rose as Erin watches on. “You didn’t have to.” Ella says.

Erin’s smile widens. “But I wanted to.” She shrugs like it’s no big deal. “Should we sit down and eat?” Erin asks.

“Sure.” Ella says.

“Good cuz I’m starving.” Erin mumbles making Ella laugh.

Erin follows Ella the few feet over to the blanket that Carm set out with the picnic basket sitting on top of it. Erin holds out her hand for Ella. Ella takes Erin’s hand and Erin helps her to the ground. Ella organizing her skirt to cover her legs properly. While Ella arranges her skirt Erin opens the picnic basket.

“Wow.” Erin comments when she looks into the picnic basket. “Not soup.” She smiles. “I should’ve thought of this sooner.” Erin talks more to herself than to Ella, but of course the princess hears everything she says.

“What’s for lunch?” Ella asks.

“Looks like sandwiches and apples. And a pitcher of tea.” Erin starts taking the items from the basket. “You sure do like tea, don’t you?” She asks.

“I do.” Ella confirms with a nod of the head.

Erin hands the princess a sandwich and apple before getting her own and sitting down next to the princess to eat. Erin dives into her sandwich like an animal until she feels eyes on her. She looks to her right to see Ella staring at her. Erin ducks her head in embarrassment.

“I usually don’t eat sandwiches. And this is a good one.” Erin mumbles her explanation.

Ella just smiles. “You’re cute. Go ahead. Don’t let me stop you. Enjoy your sandwich.” Ella encourages and takes a bite out of her own sandwich. Erin continues eating her sandwich but a little classier this time.

Erin falls backwards onto the blanket laying on her back after she’s finished eating. Her hands folded behind her head relaxed. “This is nice.” Erin comments and closes her eyes.

“I think I said that just yesterday.” Ella laughs.

“Well, you’re right.” Erin peeks an eye open at Ella.

The princess has her tea cup in her hands and she’s smiling at Erin. They exchange smiles and Erin closes her eyes again with a content sigh.

“What do you have planned for the rest of the day?” Ella asks.

“Not much. What about you? What is it that you do everyday?” Erin asks. “Tell me the life of a princess?”

Ella sighs. “It’s boring. Most days it’s school lessons. Reading, writing, arithmetic. This afternoon I have a singing lesson.” Ella rambles about her boring days.

Erin pops up. She leans up on her right elbow. “You sing?”

Ella nods. “A little. I’m not very good. It’s more of a requirement than for fun.” Ella tells Erin.

“Huh.” Erin grunts. “That doesn’t sound too boring to me.” Erin comments.

“It is.” Ella insists.

“Enough about me. Carm said you set this up.” Ella gestures to the picnic blanket. “Why?”

Erin shrugs. “I wanted to do something nice for my friend to make up for how shitty of a friend I was.” Erin tells Ella the real reason behind the picnic. That and for the selfish reason to spend extra time with the princess. “How’d I do?” Erin smirks.

“Very good. This is the nicest thing anyone has done for me since I was a kid.” Ella says.

“It’s not like you’re that old.” Erin says.

“I’ll be sixteen in a couple of months. Plus, you’re the same age.” Ella says. Erin looks away from Ella. “Aaron?” Ella questions. Erin contemplates telling Ella her real age. “You are the same age, aren’t you?” Ella questions.

Erin shakes her head. “No.” She’s ashamed of lying about her age.

“What? How old are you?” Ella asks. She’s surprised. She thought they were the same age. If not the same within a year or so.

“Promise you won’t freak out?” Erin asks.

“I promise.” Ella holds her hand over her heart.

“Eighteen.” Erin tells her.

“That’s not that much older. Why’d you lie?” Ella asks right away.

“Cuz if I said I was eighteen I would have been put in the army when the king found me.” Erin tells Ella the reason she’s been lying about her age.

“Oh.” The wheels in Ella’s head start turning. “And where’d he find you?” Ella hardly knows anything about Erin.

Erin suddenly regrets bringing this subject up. She flops back onto the blanket and closes her eyes. “On the streets.” She cringes as she says it. Erin’s not proud of the situation she was in. She’s waiting for Ella to condemn, disown, or dislike her.

Instead, Ella takes Erin’s hand in her own. It surprises Erin and she opens one eye to look at the princess. Ella smiles kindly. “Please tell me more.”

Erin doesn’t think it’s a good idea at first, but with Ella holding her hand she feels like she can tell Ella more. “I had tried to look for work but nobody would hire me. I was starving to death, literally. The king and queen stopped in their carriage in the early morning where I was sitting.” Erin explains.

“You were really skinny when I first saw you.” Ella comments. That was one of the first things she thought when she saw Erin. “But, you don’t look so scary skinny anymore just regular skinny.” Ella says with a grin.

“Thanks. I think.” Erin smiles at the princess.

“You look good.” Ella says. “Healthy now.” She adds. “Nice and strong from being a gardener.”

“Groundskeeper.” Erin corrects.

“Groundskeeper.” Ella smiles. “I like the sound of that better.”

Erin sees Carm coming back to the garden and takes her hand back from Ella. The princess frowns. “Carm’s coming.” Erin explains her actions.

Ella nods. “Will you bring me my tea tonight?” Erin nods right way. “Cool.” Ella grins happy.

“Hello.” Carm makes her presence know. “Play times over.” She teases.

Both Ella and Erin gives Carm the stink eye. “I’m not a child.” Ella huffs and it makes Erin laugh.

They get up and Erin helps Carm pack up the picnic items. They all walk back to the castle together. “Meet me downstairs, Aaron.” Carm instructs. “I’ll be there in a minute.”

“Why?” Erin asks immediately.

“Cuz you owe me, remember?” Carm squints her eyes at Erin. Erin nods. She knows she owes Carm, she was just hoping Carm would forget about it.

* * *

 

“What’s my punishment?” Erin asks.

“That’s the spirit.” Carm chuckles. “You’re gonna wash all my laundry this afternoon.” Carm goes over to her cot and pulls out all of her clothes from underneath and puts them on top of the cot. It’s a lot more clothes than Erin has.

“Okay.” Erin sighs. “I’ll get right on this.” Erin gathers up the clothing.

“Such a good little servant.” Carm chuckles and claps Erin on the back. “I’ll be going now.”

“Okay.” Erin starts for the washing area when she remembers something. “Wait. Carm.” She yells after Carm. “I forgot-“ Erin walks over to Carm and lowers her voice to a whisper. “I’m bringing the evening tea to the princess today.” She tells Carm.

“You better tell Thomas that so he doesn’t do it himself.” Carm tells Erin and leaves quickly. Erin nods to herself. She’ll find Thomas and tell him as soon as she’s done with Carm’s laundry.

* * *

 

Erin knocks on the door.

“Come in.” Comes through the bedroom door.

Erin pushes the door open and sees the princess already in bed and ready for her evening tea. She’s got her nightgown on. Erin thinks she must have gotten it tied up herself. Or maybe she didn’t bother with that at all. Erin shakes her head to get the thoughts out of her mind. She shuts the door. “I brought your tea.” Erin says dumbly. She gets a little nervous.

Ella laughs at her. “Bring it here, silly boy.”

Erin cringes at the word boy. Part of her wishes Ella could know the truth and the other part of her hopes that the princess never knows the truth. It’s less complicated that way. Erin sets the tea tray down and pours the tea for the princess and hands it to her. She goes to get the chair from the corner so she can sit next to the princess’s bed. But, Ella’s quick and stops Erin with a hand around her wrist.

“Please don’t fight me on this.” Ella says. “Sit. On the bed with me.” She runs her thumb over the delicate skin on the inside of Erin’s wrist. She pulls down slightly on the arm. Erin sits awkwardly on the edge of the bed. Ella lets go of Erin’s wrist and holds her tea cup with both hands, sipping from it. She hums as the warm liquid slides down her throat. Erin tries not to watch as Ella sips her tea but can’t take her eyes from the girl.

“Would you like some?” Ella asks when she sees Erin staring.

Erin makes a disgusted face and shakes her head. “No. I don’t think I’d like it.” She voices.

“You’ve never had tea?” Ella asks in disbelief.

“No.” Erin frowns. “We were-“ She starts but thinks better of it. “- I’ve never had tea.” Erin changes what she was originally going to say.

“You should try some then.” Ella says.

“I don’t know. I’d have to go get a cup.” Erin mumbles. “It’s okay. I’m good without it.” Erin insists.

“Here.” Ella holds out the cup of tea towards Erin. “Take it.”

Erin shakes her head. “I shouldn’t.” Rules. She remembers rules.

“Take it or I’ll spill it on you.” Ella threatens with a smirk.

“Fine.” Erin grumbles. The last thing she wants is a lap full of hot tea. She gently takes the tea cup from Ella’s hands and takes a sip right away. It’s not what Erin’s excepted it to taste like. It’s not bad but Erin doesn’t know if she likes it.

“Well?” Ella’s waiting for a review.

“I don’t know. It’s interesting. It’s different from anything I’ve ever drinken.” Erin hands the cup back to Ella. Ella takes another sip from the cup right away. “Aren’t you afraid I’ll give you my germs or something?” Erin asks. That was one of her main concerns with sharing the cup.

Ella shakes her head. “Nope.”

“How do you know I don’t have any diseases?” Erin asks.

“I don’t.” Ella shrugs. “Do you?” Ella asks as an afterthought.

“I don’t think so.” Erin tells her.

Ella giggles. “Well. Let’s hope you don’t. And if you do, that I don’t get anything from you.” Ella jokes.

Erin smacks at Ella’s leg that’s under the blanket, but laughs with the princess.

“I really like you.” Ella says. “You’re not like any boy I’ve ever met.” The princess says easily. Erin’s heart sinks. Her face falls. And Ella sees it. “What’s wrong?” She asks.

“Nothing.” Erin smiles for the princess, trying to hide it. “It’s just- nothing.” All Erin can think is that Ella is right. She’s not like any boy that the princess has ever met because she’s not a boy.

“You’re different.” Ella says simply. “Most boys- and I use the term _boy_ loosely- they are all princes, dukes, lords, any type of male royalty really. They all meet me and want to make me their wife or queen or whatever. Maybe it’s because you’re not a royal, no offense, but you’re different.” Ella explains her thoughts to Erin. “I like it. I like you. You’re more of a man than any of those boys are.” Ella says. Erin wants to laugh, but doesn’t. “Polite, caring, kind, a gentleman.” Ella smiles, smitten.

“But, like you said. I’m not a royal.” Erin argues.

Ella shrugs. “That’s the best part, silly.” She smiles and taps Erin on the top of her cap. “Why do you always wear that cap?” Ella changes the subject abruptly.

Erin’s major reason is to hide her hair. Even though it’s only shoulder length she still has longer hair than most boys should.

“It’s your day off. You don’t have to wear a cap. I know it’s part of your work outfit but this isn’t work.” Ella reaches her hand out towards the cap on Erin’s head.

Erin puts her hand on the top of her head so Ella can’t take the cap off. “Don’t.” Erin narrows her eyes at Ella.

Ella gives up, taking her hand back and setting it in her lap. “Okay. Cap stays on.” Ella says looking down at her legs. She doesn’t want to make Erin mad. The princess finishes what little is left of her tea then yawns.

That’s Erin’s signal that it’s time to leave. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Miss Ella.” Erin says as she gets up to leave.

“Don’t go.” Ella whines sleepily.

Erin stops and looks over at the princess. “I have to. You and I both know that.” Erin collects the tea tray from the table. “You need to sleep.” She walks away from Ella’s bed over to the door. “Goodnight.” She says finally.

“Goodnight, Aaron.” Ella replies sinking down into a laying position in bed.

Erin exits the room with a smile on her face. It’s the small things that she enjoys. The smile on the princess face. The way she says goodnight in that sleepy, content voice. Erin finds she really enjoys spending time with the princess even if it’s as simple as just sitting with her.


	7. Chapter 7

Erin is working in the afternoon when two horses trot over to when she is at. “Hey, Aaron.” The princess calls from atop her horse.

Erin stands up from her kneeling position. “Hello, Princess. How is your day?” Erin asks politely.

“Better now.” Ella grins. “How’s yours?” She asks.

“Great, thanks for asking, Princess.” Erin grins right back.

“Is anyone gonna ask how my day is?” Carm asks, offended, from her horse.

“What are you working on?” Ella asks Erin, looking down at the ground around Erin.

“Oh.” Erin looks over her shoulder at her work. “I was just replacing some flowers that had died out here around the stable building. Nothing major.” Erin informs the princess.

“Well, it looks great.” Ella complements with a smile. “Keep up the good work.”

Erin ducks her head at the complement. “Thanks.” She doesn’t take complements very well. Erin’s not used to anyone complementing her on anything.

Carm rolls her eyes. She can’t believe what is happening right now. “Okay, Princess. Let’s go. We have a horseback lesson that you are now behind schedule for.” Carm reminds them of what’s supposed to be happening right now and not this weird chit-chat that’s going on.

“Right.” Ella smiles down at Erin. “I forgot.” She didn’t really forget, but she can pretend that she forgot the schedule and get away with it.

Erin smirks back at Ella. She knows the princess didn’t ‘forget’. Erin likes that rebellious, daring side that the princess has.

Ella finally gets her horse moving and trots off. Carm follows behind her and Erin watches as they depart with a stupid grin on her face.

* * *

 

Carm sits down next to Erin at dinner. “You gotta be careful, man.” Carm starts with a warning. “This thing with the princess. You can’t let anybody know about it. You can’t let anybody see you two being all- whatever it is that your being.” Carm tells her.

Erin scowls at Carm. “I know that.”

“Do you?” Carm raises her eyebrows at Erin. “Cuz this afternoon you two couldn’t keep your eyes off of each other.” Carm informs her.

“That’s not true.” Erin tries to argue.

“It is. As a third party, let me tell you, that it is.” Carm nods her head at Erin with a tight-lipped smile.

“Fine.” Erin can accept what Carm is saying. If she remembers correctly she couldn’t stop smiling after Ella and Carm trotted off on their horses. “I’ll be more careful.” Erin insists.

“I also have to let you know one other thing.” Carm says.

“What?” Erin asks aggressively. She’s getting tired of Carm telling her what she can and can’t do right now.

“There’s gonna be another visitor in three days time.” Carm tells Erin flat out.

Erin thinks she might throw up her dinner. She pushes the bowl of soup away from herself. Her shoulder’s slump and she needs to steady herself by holding onto the edge of the table with both hands.

“You okay, buddy?” Carm asks.

Erin gulps down the lump that has formed in her throat. “Do I look okay?” Erin asks glancing over at Carm.

She gives Erin a sympathetic look. “Honestly? No.” Carm shakes her head.

Erin pushes herself up slowly from the bench. “I know this is part of the whole deal. But, I’m gonna need some time. I’m gonna go lay down.” Erin tells Carm with a sad half smile. “Could you?” She points to her soup bowl.

“Sure thing, buddy. I’ll take care of it.” Carm nods at her. She hates delivering news like this to anyone, but especially to Erin. It’s brutally. It’s even more brutally considered that Carm knows what’s going on and is aware of the situation. She didn’t want to tell Erin but she knew she had to. Carm thought the sooner Erin knew the better it would be.

* * *

 

The next day Erin and Ben see Carm and Ella in the garden after lunch, but Erin can barely say hello to the princess when they see each other. Erin mopes around sad all day. She just can’t seem to shake it. The thoughts of the princess finding someone to marry coming back to the forefront of her mind. It’s all she seems to be able to think about.

At dinner, Carm tells her that the princess was asking about Erin and what was wrong. She also tells Erin that the princess asked her to ask Erin to bring the tea up to her that evening.

So, Erin is climbing the stairs with the tea tray in hand. She’s trying to prepare herself for the conversation she knows the princess will want to have with her. Erin doesn’t want to do it, but she’s trying real hard to be the princess’s friend and not abandon her. It’s a difficult task.

Carm is the one to answer the door. She says a quick hello to Erin before excusing herself from the room. Erin glances over at the princess on the bed. “Come sit with me, please.” Ella pats the spot on the bed next to her hip. Erin, slowly, makes her way over to the bedside table. She puts the tea tray down before sitting on the edge of the bed.

Ella forgets all about her tea. It’s not even a thought right now. She reaches out and takes Erin’s left hand between both of her own. “Aaron, you know I don’t have a choice, right? I have to visit with all of these men. I do have a choice whether I want to see them again or not.” Ella starts with. She’s not gonna avoid the subject any longer.

“Okay.” Erin says, glumly looking down at her feet.

“Are you listening?” Ella asks. Erin nods and Ella rubs over Erin’s hand and fingers gently with her thumb. “My parents, even though they want to find someone to marry me or whatever, are fair people. If I don’t like someone, they won’t force me to marry that person.” Ella explains.

“And that’s supposed to make me feel better?” Erin gets defensive. She doesn’t like this conversation at all. She looks over to Ella with sad eyes. Erin just wishes she could run away.

Ella bites at her bottom lip, nervous. “No.” She mumbles. “But maybe this will.” Ella leans in closely and presses a kiss to Erin’s left cheek. Erin’s eyes widen and she freezes on the spot. Ella pulls away slowly, licking her lips. “I like you. I really do. More than just a friend, maybe. But you and I both know the rules. If we lived in a different world, where things were different, I would choose you over all these men that my parents are bringing in for visits.”

What Ella is saying is a lot of Erin to comprehend, but she definitely understands what is being said. “Okay.” Erin tells the princess. She doesn’t know what to think or do. “Would you like your tea now?” Erin goes back to polite servant mode.

“First, I want to know if you’re okay.” Ella asks.

“I just said okay.” Erin comes back with.

“I know you did, but that doesn’t mean you are. Are you okay with this?” Ella asks gently.

Erin shakes her head. “No. It’s hard.” Erin tells the princess honestly. That anger she had earlier comes back and she clenches her jaw. Erin wonders why it has to be like this.

“I know it is, Aaron. Come here.” Ella says and pulls Erin into a hug. It’s a bit awkward with the angle, but Ella wraps her arms around Erin’s midsection. Erin’s arms reach up around the princess’s neck. They stay like that for a little bit before Erin pulls back and goes to pour the tea for Ella. Erin sits on the bed while Ella drinks her tea. They exchange smiles and looks the whole time.

There’s a knock on the door and before either of them say anything the door pushes open. Carm appears in the doorway. She smiles and nods and makes her way across the room to the bedside table. Carm gathers up the tea tray and makes her way back to the door. “Don’t stay up too late you crazy kids.” Carm chuckles, then makes her exit.

Erin blushes hard and avoids eye contact with Ella. Ella thinks it’s super cute. She takes Erin’s hand in hers again. “Hey.” She gets Erin to look up at her. “Don’t listen to Carm.” She advises. Erin nods. “Okay. Good.” Ella smiles. Erin smiles back but can’t help the yawn that it turns into a few seconds later. “You should get to bed.” Ella tells her, squeezing Erin’s hand.

“Yeah. Okay.” Erin says. She stands up from the bed. “If you don’t see a lot of me in the next couple of days don’t take it personally.” She tells the princess in reference to the upcoming visitor. Ella nods. She understands.

They both know this isn’t an easy situation to be in. While they don’t know what going to happen between them they both know that they have little control over it. They don’t have control over anything.

* * *

 

Erin sets it up that that she gets a ride to the market on the wagon with some of the other servants on the day that the visitor arrives. It’s her day off and she isn’t obligated to be at the castle. Erin and Ben don’t have much involvement with the visitors. Most of their involvement comes before any visitors arrive and not while they are actually at the castle. So the day before, Erin and Ben prepped the driveway and all the gardens to look their best for the visitor’s arrival.

Erin thinks this is the best option. She won’t have to be at the castle for most of the day. She can stay away all day and then hide out in the servant’s quarter when she returns. Erin won’t have to see the guest the whole day.

* * *

 

The next morning, however, Erin can’t avoid it. She has to work. Erin’s out in the garden to the east of the castle when she spots them. The princess and her visitor. They are walking arm in arm towards her when she sees them. Erin’s stomach flips and flips. She smiles politely and tip her cap as they pass her. It’s a quick, non-verbal, hello. She avoids eye-contact with the princess and her visitor. They come to rest at one of the stone benches in the garden. Erin hurries to collect her tools and rushes out of the garden to leave them alone. She doesn’t want to be in their presence.

The visitor leaves the castle that afternoon.

* * *

 

That evening Erin is in bed early. She’s exhausted mentally from thinking about Ella and her visitor all day. She saw the two of them together. They looked good together. The man seemed politely. Erin can’t help but wonder if he’s the one that will marry the princess.

Erin has her eyes closed when she hears a clatter from across the room followed by Carm’s voice. “Aaron, get up.” Carm yells in a panic. “Get dressed. You need to come with me.” Erin can hear the urgency in Carm’s voice.

“Why?” Erin doesn’t have time for Carm’s games. And this better not but one of those games. She just wants to sleep and forget the day ever happened.

“Hurry up.” Carm makes it to Erin’s cot finally. She grabs Erin by the arm and pulls her from the cot.

“What’s going on? I just want to sleep.” Erin complains. She looks around the room and notices that they have caught the attention of everyone in the room.

“Seriously, Aaron. Get up.” Carm rushes. “Screw changing your clothes. We have to go.” Carm drags Erin with her across the room.

“Where?” Erin grumbles.

Carm stops them and looks around the room to find everyone staring at them. They are near the bottom of the stairs and Carm knows she can’t pull Erin up the stairs. Carm lowers her voice to a whisper and leans into Erin. “Ella’s room.” She locks eye with Erin and Erin immediately becomes alert.

“What’s wrong? What happened?” Erin asks with worry.

Carm shakes her head and they start up the stairs. Erin hurries alongside Carm as they make their way to the princess’s room. Carm stops them outside Ella’s room. “I don’t know what happened. She won’t tell me. She just keeps asking for you.” Carm tells Erin with the most serious look Erin has ever seen from the girl. Erin knows this is serious if Carm is serious.

Erin nods towards the door and Carm pushes it open. Erin steps into the doorway to see the princess on the bed. “What’s wrong?” Erin asks. Ella looks up and Erin’s heart breaks at the sight of Ella crying. Erin rushes to the bed. She wraps Ella up in a tight hug. The princess buries her face in the crook of Erin’s neck and sobs. Ella grips tight onto the back of Erin’s vest.

“What happened? Erin asks in a whisper. The princess just shakes her head against Erin. Erin gets an idea and looks over her shoulder to where Carm is standing at the door. “Can you give us a few minutes?” Erin asks. Carm nods and steps out of the room.

“Carm left. Can you tell me what happened now?” Erin asks softly. She rubs up and down Ella’s back with one hand.

“He- he- he- touched me-“ Ella stutters out. “I didn’t want- want him to.” She sobs. “I didn’t want him to.” She cries into Erin’s shirt.

“I know, Ella. I know.” Erin frowns and rubs at Ella’s back in soothing, gentle circles. What the princess told her surprises Erin. It doesn’t shock her though that a high ranking man touched the princess inappropriately. “It’s okay.” Erin whispers. “It’s gonna be okay.” She tries to comfort the princess as best as she can. Erin’s never been in a situation like this before. She’s never had to comfort a crying person before.

Ella just cries and rubs her face against Erin’s shoulder. “No. It’s not.” Ella says after she’s composed herself enough to where she’s not stuttering out her words. “It’s not okay.” She leans back away from Erin’s shoulder and looks up at Erin. Her bottom lip trembles still. “You shouldn’t be okay with this.” Ella says.

Erin shrugs with a tight-lipped smile. “I don’t have a choice, now do I?” Erin asks grimly.

Ella shakes her head and looks away. She knows Erin’s correct. “I shouldn’t have put you in this situation.” Ella says feeling embarrassed and ashamed. “You shouldn’t be here right now and having to deal with me.” She goes on. She shouldn’t have asked Carm to get Erin.

“Hey.” Erin puts her palm on Ella’s cheek and turns her head slowly so that they’re eye to eye again. Erin wipes away the tears that still fall with her thumb. “I’m here.” Erin says simply. “The rest doesn’t matter. Okay?”

Ella nods. “Thank you.” She whispers.

“You’re welcome.” Erin smiles. It pulls a smile from Ella. “That’s what I like to see.” Erin tells her. “You have the best smile I’ve ever seen.” Ella ducks her head, blushing hard. Erin has one more thing that she needs from the princess in this situation. “Ella?” She asks, gaining Ella’s attention once more. Ella looks up into warm brown eyes. “Are you okay? Like-“ It pains Erin to say the words.

“I’m okay. He didn’t- he stopped before-“ Ella mumbles lowly.

The tears slowly stop and Erin gets off the bed to pour Ella some tea. The princess sits with her back to the headboard and Erin hands her the tea. Erin walks away from the bed in the direction of the door.

“Where are you going?” Ella asks. Her voice small and scared.

Erin looks back to the princess. “I’m not going anywhere.” She replies. Erin opens the door and finds Carm sitting on the floor next to the door. “Come on.” Erin holds out her hand and helps Carm to her feet. Carm reenters the room with Erin and goes to sit at the foot of Ella’s bed.

“Sorry, Carm.” Ella says.

“Don’t apologize, Princess.” Carm says patting at Ella’s feet that are under the covers near her.

“Okay.” Ella says into her next sip of tea.

Erin pulls over the chair from the corner, and sets it next to the bed, sitting down in it. Ella reaches out for Erin’s hand once Erin is situated on the chair. Carm smiles at the two of them from where she sits.

It’s quite for a while. No one knows what to say or how to start a conversation. They don’t talk about what happened. Carm doesn’t ask and neither Ella nor Erin volunteer any information. Eventually, Ella asks about Erin’s day and the three of them fall into easy conversation.

After Ella finishes her tea Carm and Erin depart for the night. They are walking away from Ella’s room when Erin feels the need to say something. “Thanks for coming to get me, Carm. I didn’t want to be pulled into whatever you were up to, but as soon as you mentioned the princess I knew I had to be there.” Erin pats Carm on the back on their way down the stairs.

“Sure thing, buddy.” Carm says. “You gonna tell me what happened?” Carm asks. The curiosity getting the best of her.

Erin shakes her head. “Nope.”

“Okay.” Carm knows that by the way Erin says it that she’s never gonna tell what happened and for Carm to drop the subject and never mention it again.

* * *

 

Erin doesn’t see the princess the next day until after lunch and even then it’s just in passing. The groundskeepers are leaving the garden when Ella and Carm arrive. “Good afternoon, princess.” Erin smiles at Ella.

“Good afternoon.” Ella replies.

“How has your day been, Princess?” Erin asks. It’s Erin’s little way of asking if Ella is alright. If she’s okay after the day before.

“It’s been good.” Ella nods. “I’m having a pretty good day.” She smiles.

“That’s good to hear.” Erin’s satisfied with the response. Erin then follows Ben out of the garden.

They are walking back to the shed. “You and the princess are very talkative.” Ben brings up and it catches Erin off guard.

She remembers what Carm today her about been careful. “We- I’m just being polite. Like we’re supposed to be to the royal family.” Erin tries to cover her actions.

Ben side-eyes Erin. “Polite is one thing, it’s like your trying to have a whole conversation with the girl.” Ben accuses.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Ben. I’m just being polite.” Erin defends herself. That’s her story and she’s sticking to it. She remembers Carm’s warning and knows she’s gotta be more careful. Erin just finds it so hard when she’s around the princess.

* * *

 

Carm _forgets_ the evening tea so Thomas finds Erin and makes her take it up to the princess’s room. Really, it was Erin’s idea. She asked Carm at dinner to _forget_ the tea so Thomas would come find her and ask her to bring the tea to Ella. Erin wants to check on the princess and make sure she really is okay.

It’s bath day for the princess. When Erin arrives Ella is sitting on the edge of the bed with clean, wet hair. She waiting for Carm to braid her hair.

“I brought the tea.” Erin says, making her presence know.

Ella looks over to the doorway where Erin stands. “I’m waiting for Carm to come back to braid my hair.” Ella explains why she’s just sitting there holding a hairbrush in her hand.

“I could do it.” Erin offers.

Ella’s eyes go wide. “You?” She asks.

“Yeah, me.” Erin chuckles. “I have two sisters, remember. I know how to braid hair. Unless you don’t want-“

Ella cuts off Erin. “I’d like that a lot.” She bites her bottom lip nervously.

Erin nods. She goes and puts the tea tray down on the bedside table and crawls up onto the bed. Erin gets behind the princess on her knees and starts running her fingers through Ella’s wet hair, separating it into sections.

Ella tips her head back and closely her eyes, relaxing completely.

“Does that feel good?” Erin asks, knowing that it does.

“The best. Your hands are like magic. So much better than Carm’s.” Ella mumbles. Erin’s face heats red.

She tries to shake it off. “So, how was your day?” Erin asks wanting to know if the princess had a good day and if she’s okay after yesterday’s incident.

“Good.” Ella says. “Better than I thought it would be, but I have to say this is the perfect way to end it.” Ella hums.

“I’m glad to hear that.” Erin’s nearly done with the braid. She just needs a tie for the end. “Do you have a tie?” She asks the princess. Ella holds up her left hand and Erin takes the tie from between Ella’s fingers. She wraps it around the bottom of the braid and looks over her work. Erin rests a hand on each of Ella’s shoulder’s from behind. “All done.”

“Thank you.” Ella opens her eye and looks over her shoulder at Erin. She bites her bottom lip.

“What?” Erin questions. She knows Ella wants to say something but is unsure.

Ella spins around quickly so that they are facing each other with Ella kneeling on the bed mirroring Erin’s position. “You’re so good.” Ella says.

“Well, I’ve braided a lot of hair.” Erin smirks.

“I’m not talking about hair.” Ella whispers. “I’m talking about you. You’re a good person, Aaron.” Erin would disagree with Ella on that, but doesn’t get the chance. The princess places both of her hands on Erin’s shoulders. “You treat me so well. I don’t know how to thank you.” Ella continues.

“You don’t have to thank me, Ella. It’s fine.” Erin insists.

“But, I want to.” Ella says using Erin’s previous words.

“Well, I-“ Erin stops as Ella’s palm moves from her shoulder and comes to rest on her cheek.

“Don’t move.” Ella whispers and leans in. Erin doesn’t move a single muscle. She’s like stone as Ella comes in for a kiss. This time it not on the cheek, it’s on the lips. It’s a quick press of their lips together, but its huge for both of them. Erin closes her eyes and tries to remain calm, but everything rises up inside her.

Ella pulls back and bites on her bottom lip. “Was that too much?” She asks. Erin shakes her head. “Can you open your eyes?” Ella asks and Erin does as she’s asked.

The girl before her suddenly looks different, looks more beautiful than ever. “How about that tea now?” Erin switches gears for lack of knowing what to say and out of nervousness.

Ella nods with a coy smile. Erin gets off the bed to get the tea. Ella settles into bed and waits for the tea. “Thank you.” Ella tells Erin when Erin hands her the tea cup. Erin goes over to the corner and gets the chair and sets it next to the bed. Ella reaches out for Erin’s hands once seated and takes it. Ella sips at her tea peacefully while Erin stares down at their joined hands, playing with Ella’s.

Carm reenters the room noisily. She knocks then kicks the bottom of the door with her foot as she opens it. Carm clears her throat and then looks over to the bed. “Oh, hey, buddy.” She greets overenthusiastically. Carm purposely stayed away from the princess’s room knowing Erin would be coming up after Ella’s bath. “Fancy meeting you here.” Carm says.

“You knew I was coming.” Erin looks at Carm with a weird questioning look.

“Okay, well I’ll just be going. I’ll see you both tomorrow.” Carm says and closes the door.

“What was that about?” Ella asks with a giggle.

“I’m not sure.” Erin laughs with Ella at Carm’s weird antics.

“She seems to be more strange with every passing day.” Ella adds. “Carm does this weird thing now where she’ll start talking about something but then it’s like she didn’t realize she was talking out loud, catches herself, and stops talking.” Ella explains.

“That is weird.” Erin agrees.

“Yeah, she did it earlier today. She was talking about tea. I think. Almost like she was complaining but like out loud. I don’t think she knew she was doing it.” Ella explains further.

“What did she say about the tea?” Erin asks curiously.

“Just that she had to talk to Thomas about the tea. I don’t really know. It’s not like she was directing her words at me. I just happened to be there and listening.” Ella tells her.

Erin thinks about it a little and thinks she knows what Carm was talking about. Carm was probably talking about telling Thomas to have Erin bring the tea. But that’s not what ended up happening so she’s not sure. Ella squeezes Erin’s hand to get her attention back.

“Where’d you go?” The princess asks.

“Oh, I was just thinking. Sorry.” Erin smiles guiltily. “No more about Carm. I want to know more about you.” Erin turns the tables on the princess. “What’s your favorite color? What’s your favorite food? Your favorite anything? Your favorite place? I want to learn about you.” Erin confesses. She wants to know everything she can about Ella.

Ella giggles, nervous almost. No ones ever wanted to learn more about her. Not any of her potential suitors, not anyone. “Well, my favorite color is purple.” Ella grins happily. “I don’t have a favorite food. Thomas makes too many great dishes. And my favorite place- it used to be anywhere I was when I’m riding my horse.” Ella says.

Erin furrows her brow, confused. “It’s not anymore?” The groundskeeper asks.

“Nope.” Ella shakes her head with a big smile. “I have a new favorite place.”

“Where?” Erin can’t help but ask.

“Here.”

“Your bedroom?” Erin asks. What’s so exciting about the bedroom that it’s Ella’s new favorite place.

“No, silly.” Ella giggles. “Here, with you. Anywhere with you really. You’re my new favorite place.” Ella says, smiling from ear to ear.

“I’m not a place.” Erin protests.

“I know but-“ Ella lifts their connected hands for emphasis. “Whenever I’m with you I feel happy, safe, and content. It doesn’t matter where it is as long as you are there with me. That’s my favorite place.” Ella holds their hands to her lips, kissing the back of Erin’s hand.

“Ella.” Is all Erin can come up with to say. “I don’t- you shouldn’t-“ The emotions rush over Erin. It’s too much.

She’s starting to think that the things she’s feeling for the princess are reciprocated. That the princess might just have feelings for her too. But, that creates a problem. Well, more than one. Ella doesn’t know that Erin’s not a boy. And two, that complicates things with Ella’s upcoming birthday and the search for a husband. Erin doesn’t want to stand in the way of that. She doesn’t want to get in the way of anything for Ella. The princess has the perfect life all set for her. Erin doesn’t want to mess any of that up.

“I should go.” Erin gets up from her chair abruptly. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” Erin says. “Have a good night. Sleep well.” Erin smiles at the princess. She grabs the tea tray to leave.

“You have a good night too.” Ella says. “Good nights aren’t exclusive to princess’s.” Ella giggles.

“Well, thank you. I’ll try my best, but no promises. I don’t have a nice bed like you.” Erin smiles tight-lipped.

Ella frowns. “I wish you did. You deserve it.” Ella says.

Erin throws her head back and laughs. “No, I don’t, but you’re sweet.” Erin says. “Goodnight, Princess.” Erin makes her way to the door.

“Goodnight.” Ella pouts.

* * *

 

Thomas stands at the head of the room and addresses the servants at breakfast. “As some of you might know or remember the king’s birthday is coming up. I received word yesterday that the castle will be throwing a celebration similar to last years. That means I need everyone’s help to make the day as perfect as possible. I’m not stupid. I know there’s no such thing as perfect, but we are going to try to come as close as possible. There will be an afternoon gathering with all sorts of royals from across the lands. Then there will be dinner in the Great Hall followed by a dance. All very similar to last year. The menu will be different, of course.” Thomas smiles proudly.

“What does all this mean?” Erin asks Carm, who’s sitting next to her, as Thomas continues with his speech.

“More work, mostly.” Carm shrugs. Erin nods. Carm’s more concerned with her food then with what Thomas is saying. It’s always the same thing when it comes to a birthday celebration. “You’ll want to ask Ben about that. There’s lots of prep work that needs to be done.” Erin nods again.

Thomas is still talking about the celebration. “And everyone is to be on their best behavior.” Erin catches the end of what Thomas was saying.

“When?” She asks Carm. She doesn’t understand. She missed something.

“During the dance.” Carm smiles.

“Dance? We get to attend the dance?” Erin likes the possibility of dancing.

“Yes and no.” Carm tells her. The servants start to disperse now that Thomas is done talking. “The servants get to have their own little dance after the main dance and all the royals have left for the night.” Carm explains.

“Do you dance?” Erin asks curiously.

Carm laughs loudly. “I’m like the best dancer in the castle.”

Erin isn’t sure if Carm is serious or not, but somehow thinks Carm is lying. “Will the princess be there?” Her thoughts shift gears.

“Of course. She has to at least have one dance with her daddy on his birthday. She’ll be there.” Carm tells Erin.

Erin nods and stares off into the distance. She thinks about seeing the princess at the king’s birthday. In a nice dress, dancing. Erin imagines it to be a beautiful sight.

Erin goes to her work after breakfast. She meets Ben at the groundskeeper’s shed. They have one week until the birthday celebration to get the castle grounds ready. The grass will need to be cut. The shrubs near the front gate trimmed. All the flowering plants need to be maintained. And three trees need to come down to make room for a makeshift stable that’s being built the day before the celebration for the arriving royal’s horses. They make a plan for the coming days.

* * *

 

The next day Erin meets Ben early. They will be cutting down the three trees and removing the stumps. Ben figures it will take most of the day to get done. They need to get the trees done in one day because the next day is their day off. And after that they need to cut the grass and get everything ready for the celebration.

Ben and Erin get two of the three trees cut down before lunch and dig the stumps out with the help of one of the work horses. “After lunch we will clean the garden like usual and then get back to this guy.” Ben pats the trunk of the tree with his hand.

“Okay, sounds good.” Erin and Ben go inside and have their lunches. They eat quickly. They have a lot of work to do yet before sunset. The trees might be down and stumps dug out but there’s still cutting up the trees into manageable pieces and moving them to the wood pile.

Erin heads out before Ben. She gets to the shed and gets her broom and dust pan and her pruning tool and makes her way to the garden. Ben joins Erin shortly after she’s started in the garden. They make quick work of their tasks and are out of the garden before the princess shows up.

* * *

 

Ben is on one end of the two-man saw and Erin is at the other with the final tree that they have to cut down between them. They work together pulling back and forth, sawing through the trunk. They are nearly all the way through the trunk when Ben loses his footing. He slips, letting go of the saw handle and falling backwards.

When Erin pulls on the saw there’s no resistance from Ben’s side and the blade slips from between the wood of the trunk. At first, Erin doesn’t realize what has happened, but then she’s falling backwards and then the pain comes. She looks down to see the tear in her right pants leg and then she sees the red that’s starting to seep into the fabric.

“Ahhh.” She yells, not caring who hears.

Ben comes rushing over to her. “I’m so sorry. I slipped. Are you alright?” He kneels at Erin’s side.

“Do I look alright?” She groans, closing her eyes.

“No.” Ben shakes his head.

Erin falls from her sitting position onto her back. The pain is too much. Erin grinds her teeth together. “Can you look at it?” She grimaces through her teeth.

Ben nods. He inspects the gash on Erin’s right leg. “There’s a sizeable cut across the shin.” Ben says more to himself than to Erin.

“I know that, but how bad is it?” She can feel that there’s a, probably, large cut on her leg. She doesn’t want to look at it herself because she doesn’t know if she could without passing out. She basically wants to know if she’s gonna loose her leg or even bleed out and die.

“It’s bad. Really bad.” Ben says, locking eyes with Erin. “I can see the shin bone.”

Erin closes her eyes again. She doesn’t need this now. She doesn’t need this at all. She thinks. She thinks about everything in her entire life leading up to this point. She’s knows that she’s too young to die. But…


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here's the next installment. im leaving for vacation in about an hour so there probably won't be another update for 7+ days. enjoy

_“It’s bad. Really bad.” Ben says, locking eyes with Erin. “I can see the shin bone.”_

_Erin closes her eyes again. She doesn’t need this now. She doesn’t need this at all. She thinks. She thinks about everything in her entire life leading up to this point. She’s knows that she’s too young to die. But…_

* * *

 

“Let’s get you inside. Hopefully, Miss Mary can patch this up.” Ben says. Erin doesn’t know who Miss Mary is, but she hopes that Miss Mary knows what she’s doing.

Ben literally picks Erin up and carries her into the castle, down into the servant’s quarters. “Stay here. I’ll be right back.” Ben says as he puts Erin on a cot.

“As if I’m going out for a walk.” She says sarcastically. Ben doesn’t catch on as he leaves. Erin throws her head back onto the cot and groans in pain. She’s doesn’t bother with the few people that are in the room. Let them stare, she thinks. She’s not in any condition to explain the situation. She’s just hoping she doesn’t die. The pain is almost unbearable.

Ben comes back with a woman after a few minutes. “This is Miss Mary.” Ben introduces. “She’s our nurse.”

The woman doesn’t bother with an introduction. She looks at Erin’s leg straight away. “Oh my god, boy. What the hell did you do?” Miss Mary gasps out loud. “I’m gonna need bandages. Some alcohol- whiskey. A tweezers. Rags. And hot water.” Miss Mary instructs to Ben as she gets to business right away.

Miss Mary finally makes eye contact with Erin. “This looks bad, son. But, I’m gonna try my best to get you all fixed up. The first step is cleaning the wound. Which is gonna hurt like a bitch.” Mary informs Erin.

“Okay.” Erin nods.

“Then I’ll bandage it up. You’ll have to be on bed rest for a few days so the wound can close up and to help prevent infection. The cut looks deep but it’s a thin cut so I don’t think I need to stitch it up. Lucky for you. If you stay off of your feet, it should heal. If it doesn’t we will take care of it then.” Miss Mary explains.

Ben returns with the things Miss Mary asked for. He’s out breath and he dumps his arm full onto the end of the cot. “Here.” He pants.

“Thank you, Ben. I’m gonna need you to help me.” Miss Mary tells him.

“Anything.” He pants frantically.

Where Miss Mary’s calm demeanor had calmed Erin down; Ben’s frantic manor makes Erin panic. Her heart rate increases and she grips onto the edges of the cot.

“Okay.” Miss Mary starts. “Grab a rag. I’m gonna rip the pants.” Miss Mary takes hold of the tear in Erin’s pants. “This is gonna hurt.” She tells Erin. Erin nods, as if it doesn’t hurt enough already. Miss Mary rips the fabric open so she can have better access to the wound. “Okay. Ben, press the rag to the wound to sop up as much blood as possible. Hold it there to help stop the bleeding too.” Miss Mary instructs.

Ben presses the rag to the wound and Erin screams in pain. That hurt more than the ripping of the pants.

“Here. Drink this.” Miss Mary hands Erin a bottle that she got from the pile of stuff on the end of the cot.

“What- is it?” Erin pants, trying to manage the pain and stay conscious.

“Whiskey.”

It burns Erin’s throat as she takes a couple of gulps. She’s never had whiskey before and doesn’t much care for it after her first taste.

Miss Mary inspects the wound. “It’s fairly clean. How’d you do this?” Miss Mary asks, her eyes never leaving Erin’s leg.

“Saw.” Ben replies while Erin swallows down some more whiskey. Miss Mary nods. Her face is an inch or two from the open cut in Erin’s leg.

“Okay. Ben get the bandages ready for me. Aaron, I’m gonna need that bottle now?” Miss Mary holds her hand out for the bottle.

Erin takes one final swig and hands the bottle to Miss Mary. Miss Mary then takes a swig herself. “This is gonna hurt.” Miss Mary says again.

“You’ve said that already.” Erin groans. “Everything hurts.”

“I know, but this will be the worst. Here.” Miss Mary hands Erin a strip of leather that she pulled from her skirt pocket. “Bite that.” She instructs.

It’s gross and probably dirty, but Erin puts the leather in between her teeth. Miss Mary pours the alcohol over the wound and Erin screams around the leather. It’s more of a strangled groan than a scream. Erin can’t see anything. All she sees is blackness. She still hears the sounds of Miss Mary and Ben around her, but can’t see them. Miss Mary was right that hurt worse than anything so far. Erin’s sight slowly returns. Miss Mary dabs at the extra alcohol around the wound with a clean rag. “It’s still bleeding a little, but hopefully it will stop. I’m gonna bandage it up now.” Miss Mary says.

Erin spits the leather out of her mouth, panting, and heart racing. “Fuck, that hurt.” She gasps.

“I told ya.” Miss Mary smirks.

Once the wound is all bandaged, Miss Mary asks Ben to find Thomas and tell him what happened. Ben hurries off with his new task. “We’ll get you some new work trousers, don’t worry. Just rest now. You’ll need it. Here.” Miss Mary hands the whiskey bottle back to Erin. “Drink the rest of this. It will help with the pain, and to make you sleep.” Miss Mary instructs. “And no work for at least three days.” Mary shakes a finger at Erin.

“But- the party.” Erin thinks about the king’s birthday celebration for the first time since the saw ripped through her skin.

“Don’t worry about it. Ben will get someone to help him finish his work if he needs it. He’s a big boy and he knows what to do and where to find help. You need to rest or your leg won’t heal and you won’t be doing any work. You don’t want that boy, trust me.”

“Okay.” Erin sighs. She opens the bottle and starts on the only task she has now. To finish the bottle. It tastes terrible and burns on the way down, but Erin can already feel it’s effects. Her head feels fuzzy and her skin is warm. The blanket that Miss Mary put over her legs feels like it’s too muchb but Erin isn’t bothered enough to remove it.

* * *

 

Something or someone wakes Erin up a few hours later.

“Hey, buddy. I heard about what happened.” Carm says.

Erin squints at her. Her head buzzes, everything’s fuzzy, and her mouth is dry. Erin tries swallowing a few times to alleviate the dry mouth. She starts to sit up and that’s when the pain hits her again. “Shit.” She hisses.

“Yeah, I heard it was pretty bad. Are you hungry?” Carm gets down to what’s really important. Food. “I can get you dinner?”

“Yeah, I am. Fuck. It hurts.” Erin groans.

“I’ll be right back. You just stay here.” Carm smiles at Erin.

“Funny.” Erin rolls her eyes. The pain in her leg is constant, a constant throb.

Carm returns with a bowl and Erin starts in on it right away. She’s absolutely starving. “Haven’t lost your appetite, I see.” Carm laughs. “I gotta go, but I thought I’d just check in on you before I put the princess to bed.” Carm says looking down at Erin, waiting for her reaction. Erin stops eating mid-bite. The spoon halfway to her mouth, hanging in the air. “Did you want me to tell the princess or no?” Carm asks, knowing what Erin is thinking about.

“I-“ Erin weighs her options. Does she inform the princess of her injury? On one hand, the less the princess knows the better. On the other, if she’s laid up in bed for the next several days what will the princess think if she doesn’t see her. She doesn’t want the princess to think she’s avoiding her again. But either way she doesn’t want the princess worrying about her. “I don’t know-“ Erin sighs, defeated.

“How bout this? I won’t tell her anything tonight. You can think about it and make a decision for tomorrow.” Carm suggests. “It’s your day off tomorrow, right?” Carm asks finally. Erin nods. “Well, I might have a surprise for you then.” Carm winks.

“Might?” Erin questions.

“You’ll have to wait and see.” Carm takes off to go tend to the princess before Erin can say anything more. Erin eats the rest of her soup and lays down again.

* * *

 

The next morning Miss Mary wakes Erin up. Miss Mary unwraps the bandages and checks Erin’s leg wound. “I’m pleased with the way this looks. It’s stopped bleeding almost completely.” Miss Mary tells Erin and starts rewrapping the wound. “As boring as it is, you need to remain in bed.” Miss Mary warns. “This looks good so far. The more you stay in bed now, the quicker you will be on your feet.”

Erin nods. She understands even if it’s her day off and she doesn’t want to spend it laying on a cot. Miss Mary leaves and Carm comes over with breakfast for her.

“So, have you made a decision?” Carm asks straight away.

“Yeah.” Erin whispers. She sits up to eat and winces at the pain. “I think you should tell the princess. Not what happened but just that I’m injured and not able to work for the next two or three days. I don’t want her worrying when she doesn’t see me working in the garden.” Erin tells Carm.

“Got it.” Carm hands Erin the soup. “So, what are you gonna do all day?” Carm asks.

Erin shrugs. She doesn’t have a plan. “Sleep, probably. Not like I can do much else. Maybe someone will play a few hands with me at some point today.”

Carm nods. “Yeah, maybe I’ll ask somebody to take pity on you before I go.” Carm laughs. Erin frowns and eats her breakfast. “I’ll see you at lunchtime, buddy.” Erin nods and Carm leaves.

* * *

 

“So, did you tell her?” Erin asks as soon as she sees Carm.

Carm laughs. “Hello to you too, buddy. And yes, I did inform the princess of your current situation.” Carm hands Erin a bowl and sits at the end of Erin’s cot with her own bowl.

Erin takes a few bites of her food. “And how’d she take it?” Erin asks.

“Hmm.” Carm hums into a spoonful of soup. “At first I don’t think she understood. But, then I said you’d be in bed for the next couple of days and that she wouldn’t see you around the castle.” Carm explains.

“Oh.” Erin mumbles. She’s not sure how she feels about the princess’s reaction.

“Yeah. She’s a smart cookie. Doesn’t always catch on right away, but when she does BAM she gets it.” Carm goes on to say.

“Okay.” Erin mumbles glumly. She thought there would be more of a reaction from the princess about her condition. Maybe she doesn’t care that much. “That was it?” Erin wants to be sure.

“I guess.” Carm shrugs awkwardly. Awkward because Carm isn’t telling Erin everything that she discussed with the princess. She’s holding back at the princess’s request. Carm finishes her lunch quickly, feeling weird about hiding something from Erin. “I gotta go. Lots to do before the big party.”

Erin nods sadly. She’s realized she’s gonna miss the King’s birthday celebration. There’s nothing she can do about it, but it still bums her out and it sucks. Erin’s stuck in her cot until further notice. The one thing she’s most disappointed about it seeing the princess at the king’s birthday. Seeing her dancing and having a good time. Seeing her in what Erin assumes will be a unique special dress for the special occasion. That’s the worst part of it all.

Erin sleeps all afternoon. Nobody bothers her. She sleeps well, which is surprising considering the leg wound and the fact that she hasn’t had any sleeping aids today. She’s surprised, when she wakes up, at how easy it was for her to sleep actually. Erin thinks it probably the injury and her body trying to heal itself. She needs the extra sleep.

Miss Mary comes by before dinner. She checks the wound. She says it looks good. Miss Mary dabs the wound with some whiskey and it makes Erin hiss in pain. She re-bandages the wound and tells Erin she’ll be back in the morning for another check and changing. Miss Mary also tells Erin to stay in bed again. She leaves and shortly after Carm comes over with Erin’s dinner.

“How’s the leg doing?” Carm asks. Erin furrows her brow at Carm. “I saw Miss Mary over here.” She explains.

“She says it’s doing good. Although, I’m not sure what that means. What if it’s not good and I won’t be able to walk ever again?” Erin worries.

Carm shrugs. “There’s no way to know. Sorry buddy.” She pats Erin’s good leg. “At least you’re alive, right?” Carm grins. She holds out a bowl for Erin. “Enjoy.”

“I always do.” Erin says. Even though they eat pretty much the same thing for every meal, Erin enjoys it and is grateful. She knows what it’s like to go without food. She could be starving on the street right now, but she’s not thanks to the king. So she never takes a meal for granted.

They both eat in silence. When finished Carm gets up to leave. She takes Erin’s bowl from her and in exchange hands Erin something.

“What’s this?” Erin wonders. She didn’t see it in Carm’s possession when she arrived with dinner. Erin looks down at the rolled up piece of paper that Carm is holding.

“Your surprise.” Carm smiles triumphantly. “Gotta go.” She hands off the roll to Erin and she’s gone.

Erin looks down at the roll in her hand. It has a simple purple ribbon tying it together. Curiously, Erin unties the ribbon and removes it from the paper carefully. She doesn’t want to ruin anything, the paper or the ribbon. Whoever did this, did a nice job. The paper and ribbon are in perfect condition. Erin doesn’t want to mess it up.

She unrolls the paper to reveal that it’s actually two pieces of paper rolled up together. The first piece is full of words from top to bottom. The second has words on three quarter of the page. She smiles at the paper in front of her. Erin thinks it’s the best thing ever. It’s a letter. She knows it’s a letter because she sees a name in the top left hand corner of the first page. It makes tears well in the corners of her eyes. She wipes them away before they can fall and ruin the ink.

Erin sits with the letter for a few minutes before rolling it up again and tying the ribbon around it. She stores it under her cot with her other belongings for safe keeping. Erin knows it’s something she’ll keep forever. She lays down and let’s sleep take her for the night with the emotions she has for the princess coursing through her veins. They are stronger than ever now. And while that poses many problems, Erin can’t deny them or fight them. They’re there and they’re real. And she’s gonna have to live with them. And she’s finally alright with that.

* * *

 

The day before the king’s birthday celebration and all the servants are frantic and busy all day. Miss Mary checks on Erin’s wound at breakfast and again at dinner. Carm is too busy to stop and talk. As is everyone else. It’s a very lonely, boring day for Erin. She can’t sleep all day like she did the day before. Erin hopes that’s a good sign that her leg is healing.

* * *

 

The morning of the king’s birthday celebration Miss Mary checks Erin’s leg wound and tells her it might be the last day of bed rest. Erin’s excited about the possibility of being able to get out of bed for more than just using the toilet.

There aren’t any servants in the servant’s quarters that day because they are all busy. No one gets the day off. Erin’s all alone with nothing to do. No one brings her lunch. It’s really depressing.

In the afternoon, she’s laying on her side. The pain in her leg is much less than it was the days before. She lays on her side on her cot staring at the handwritten letter. She doesn’t have anything else to do and she wasn’t able to sleep. She already tired that. Erin wants, so desperately, to get out of bed, but knows that she shouldn’t.

She hears the music when it starts above her. Erin can imagine all the guests arriving and filling the Great Hall. She imagines the King and Queen and Princess greeting them all kindly. She imagines the gathering that Thomas spoke of.

As the day wears into evening she imagines the royals sitting down for dinner. Then there’s the dancing. That’s the part Erin wishes to be at the most. She looks down at her leg, cursing it. “Fuck.” She grumbles. Erin reaches under her cot for her pants. She pulls them out and lays them on the cot next to herself. Erin sits up and puts her legs over the edge. She pulls the pants up slowly over her injured leg first, before slipping the second leg in and pulling them to her waist. The pain is substantially, but manageable with a few hisses and gritted teeth.

The journey up the stairs is a difficult and painful one. Erin tries not to put much pressure on her bad leg as she goes. She’s thankful there is a wall there to help her along the way. The music gets louder the closer she gets to the kitchen. She pushes the door open and spots Thomas right away.

He’s working hard at something when he hears the door and looks up. “What are you doing?” He asks. “You’re supposed to be in bed.” He continues.

“I have to see this.” Erin tells him. She gives him a pleading look in the hopes that he won’t banish her back to the servant’s quarters.

He nods and sighs. “Hold on.” Thomas disappears into the pantry. He comes out a moment later with what Erin thinks is a crutch. “To help support your weight.” Thomas explains.

“Thank you, Thomas.” Erin says.

“Don’t be too long, okay?” Thomas advises.

“I won’t. I promise.” Erin smiles to him. With a nod of the head Erin hobbles away from Thomas towards the Great Hall.

The music is so loud now. The band sounds great as Erin approaches. It makes her that much more excited. When she gets to the door, Erin takes a deep breath and pushes the door open.

The first thing she sees is all the servants lining the walls waiting for someone to need something. The next thing Erin sees is the two long tables of royals. Some seats at the table have occupants, but others are empty. Their occupants on the dance floor.

Erin looks for the one person she made this long, painful journey from her cot to see. She doesn’t spot her at the table so Erin searches the dance floor. She spots her right in the middle of everybody, dancing with the birthday boy, with a big smile on her face.

The princess is as pretty as Erin could have imagined. She wears a maroon colored dress with gold accents. Her hair is pulled back into a half ponytail. The half that falls over her shoulders is curled loosely.

The princess spins around happily with her father. Erin smiles broadly at the sight. That’s all she really wanted to see. The princess dancing. To see the princess happy makes Erin happy. Erin leans against the wall next to the door and watches the princess dance with her father for a while.

“I don’t know if what you’re doing right now is creepy or endearing.”

Erin clutches at her chest. “Holy shit, Carm. You scared the crap out of me.” Erin glances to her left at the girl standing next to her. It’s a quick look so her eyes can return to the princess.

“What are you doing out of bed?” Carm asks, folding her arms over her chest.

“It’s fine, Carm. I’ll make it quick, I promise. Plus, Thomas gave me this.” Erin waves the crutch in front of Carm’s face.

Carm chuckles and rolls her eyes. “Good to know.”

Erin and Carm observe the room for a little bit from their spot.

“She’s so happy.” Erin mumbles.

“Yeah, she’s having fun.” Carm agrees. “You should get back to bed.” Carm really doesn’t like the fact that Erin is up and about when she’s supposed to be resting.

“Yeah.” Erin mumbles. The princess switches dance partners from her dad to a little boy. “Cute.” Erin grins.

“Okay. Enough.” Carm turns and grabs Erin by the shoulder’s turning her around and pushes her through the door. “Go back to bed. I have work to do.” Carm shuts the door on Erin.

Erin reluctantly hobbles back to the kitchen. “I’m back Thomas.” She holds out the crutch for Thomas to take.

“No, it’s alright. Keep it. At least until your all healed up.” Thomas offers. “Get back to bed, kid.” Thomas grins at Erin.

“Thanks.” Erin give him a tight-lipped smile. Erin hops down the stairs and resumes her spot in her cot. Her leg throbs a little as she lays there. She just hopes she didn’t do any damage to her leg.

* * *

 

Miss Mary comes by Erin’s cot the next morning to check the wound. “It’s looking really good today. Better than yesterday. I don’t see any infection. I can tell you’ve been taking my advice and staying in bed. But, I think you can start getting up and about again. No work yet. But, you can get up for meals and if you need something. But, no extra activity. You should still stay in bed and keep the leg up and level. No running all over the castle. Most of your day should still be in bed.” Miss Mary warns her.

It’s great news for Erin. She can at least get up to eat her meal at the table like all the rest of the people. It’s the best news she’s had in days. Erin finds Carm after Miss Mary is done changing her bandage. Carm’s at the breakfast table with her head bobbing up and down almost going into her breakfast bowl.

“Hey Carm, long night?” Erin asks, already knowing the answer.

“Huh? Yeah, I guess. Are you supposed to be up?” Carm asks, finally realizing that Erin is out of her cot.

“Yes. It’s fine. Miss Mary gave me the okay.” Erin smiles. “Just for meals and simple stuff.”

“That’s awesome, buddy.” Carm congratulates. “I’m so exhausted. More so than usual.”

“Did you have fun last night?” Erin asks, starting on her breakfast. “I wish I coulda been there.” Erin frowns.

“Me too. I had a good time. Danced, drank, and had a jolly good time.” Carm tells Erin.

“Hopefully, you’ll be all healed up for the princess’s birthday.” Carm says.

“When is it?” Erin asks. She knows the princess’s birthday is coming up but doesn’t know when.

“Couple weeks.” Carm informs Erin.

“Really?” Erin’s surprised. “That soon?”

“Yeah, it’s right after the King’s birthday.” Carm yawns. “Today’s gonna be terrible.” She complains.

“Anything I can do to help?” Erin asks.

“Not unless you know everything the princess has to do today.” Carm says sarcastically.

“Well?” Erin draws out. “I don’t have much going on today. And I can actually get out of bed.” Erin smirks.

“No. No. No.” Carm holds her hands up. “I can’t let that happen. Evening tea is one thing, but I can’t leave you alone with the princess all day.” Rules. Carm pushes her bowl away from herself. “I have to go. You stay here.” Carm points a finger at Erin. “I don’t want to see you until I return for lunch.” Carm gets up, her eyes never leaving Erin, telling her to stay in the servant’s quarters. Carm leaves and Erin frowns into her breakfast. She wants to do something, anything today. It doesn’t look like that will happen though.

* * *

 

Erin doesn’t see Carm at lunch. Carm never comes and it makes Erin worry that something is wrong with the princess. She worries all afternoon about Carm not coming to lunch and what it might mean.

Erin’s at the table at dinner when Carm comes in and flops down next to her. Erin breathes a, sort of, sigh of relief. “You look like shit.” Erin says looking over at her friend.

“Thanks.” Carm groans. She starts eating. “You got your wish.” Carm mumbles between bites.

“What?” Erin asks, confused.

“I’m eating and going to bed. You got your wish. Go see your princess.” Carm glances over at Erin.

Erin smiles into her soup until she realizes exactly what Carm had said. “My princess?” Erin questions out loud.

“Well-“ Carm shrugs and takes another spoonful of soup drawing out her response. “-it’s true, isn’t it?” She asks.

“I-no-“ Erin stutters. “It’s not like that. She’s not mine. Actually, she’s not anyone’s. She’s not property.” Erin argues.

“You know what I mean.” Carm raises a challenging eyebrow at Erin.

Erin ducks her head and doesn’t deny it. She quickly finishes her soup and goes to the kitchen for the princess’s tea. She says hi to Thomas. Who is ready and waiting for Erin to show up. He has the tea all ready to go.

“It’s nice of you to take the tea to the princess for Carm. I know she’s been working extra hard and is exhausted.” Thomas tells Erin.

“I’m just trying to help out a friend. I don’t mind really.” Erin smiles kindly.

Thomas holds out the tea tray for Erin. “You sure you got this?” Thomas asks. Erin adjusts her crutch under her arm and takes the tray with her free hand.

“I got this.” Erin tells Thomas confidently.

“Okay.” Thomas chuckles. He isn’t sure and just hopes the Erin doesn’t drop or spill the princess’s tea.

“See ya later.” Erin crutches her way through the castle, up the staircase, and down the hall to the princess’s bedroom. It takes longer than usual. Longer than Erin would like. She finds herself out of breath when she arrives at the bedroom door. She leans against her crutch and collects her breath before knocking. The door opens a few moments later.

“Aaron.” The princess is surprised to see her.

“Hi.” Erin smiles shyly.

“Shouldn’t you be in bed?” The princess asks.

Erin rolls her eyes. “I wish everyone would quit asking that. And no. I have permission to be up and about as long as I can put my leg up while I’m here.” Erin explains boldly.

“Well, come in then.” Ella smiles. She happy to be seeing Erin again. She says as much. “It’s good to see you again. It’s been so long.”

Erin sighs. “Yeah.” She agrees. “Here. I’ll get your tea, but then I have to prop my leg up.” Erin sets the tea tray on the bedside table and begins pouring the tea. Ella’s hands wrap around her own.

“I can.” Ella supplies.

“But-“ Erin tries to protest. They lock eyes.

“Let me.” Ella insists. “You sit on my bed. Get that leg up there.”

“But-“ Erin starts.

“Shhh.” Ella hushes her. “No buts.” Ella smiles at her. “Okay?” She whispers.

“Okay.” Erin gives into the princess. She always seems to give in when it comes to the princess. Erin climbs awkwardly onto the bed. She huffs and puffs about. Erin situates herself awkwardly at the foot of the bed with her leg laying crossways.

Ella pours her own tea and turns to get into bed. She laughs when she sees Erin at the foot of the bed. “You’re so silly.” Ella chuckles. “Up here.” She pats the pillow. “You can sit here, lean against the headboard. It’ll be more comfortable.’ Ella tells her.

Erin hangs her head. Embarrassed. Ashamed. She feels awkward and nervous. Erin shuffles over on the bed.

Ella hops up on the bed and sits facing Erin with her legs folded underneath herself. “Can you tell me what happened?’” Ella asks softly. “I’m really glad you’re okay, by the way, but Carm wouldn’t tell me happened.” Ella’s eyes roam over Erin’s body looking for any visible injuries.

Erin nods. “Ben and I were cutting down a tree. He slipped and then the saw slipped and cut into my leg?” She shrugs. She doesn’t want to make a big deal out of it. She doesn’t want Ella making a big deal out of it.

“Which leg?” Ella asks. She not sure but she thinks she knows.

“Right.” Erin confirms.

Ella shifts and reaches towards Erin’s leg. “May I?” She asks.

Erin doesn’t know what Ella is asking to do, but nods her head anyway. Ella slowly reaches for Erin’s pants leg. She rolls up the material from the ankle to the knee, careful not to hurt Erin. Ella gasps when she focuses in on the leg itself. The bandage on Erin’s leg covers much of the area between the knee and ankle.

“It looks worse than it is.” Erin bends forward at the waist. “The cut in my leg is right here.” She draws a line across the bandage with her finger. “It’s only a thin line. The bandage cover so much to help prevent infection.” Erin tells the princess.

Ella’s fingertips trace over the spot that Erin had pointed out without actually touching the bandage. “Did it hurt?” Ella asks.

“So much.” Erin smiles.

“You’re so brave.” Ella whispers in awe. Her eyes fixed on the bandage. She can’t imagine what Erin went through. Slowly, Ella lifts her head, her eyes finding Erin’s.

Their eyes connect and Erin feels that pull inside her. That pull that makes her want to be closer to the princess. She doesn’t know how to handle or control that pull. She doesn’t know what to do or say next. Erin settles for leaning back against the headboard again and closing her eyes. She takes a few deep breathes. Her feelings are too much and she needs to try and rein them back in.

The bed dips as the princess moves beside Erin. “Are you okay?” Ella whispers. She doesn’t want to startle Erin.

“Yeah. I just need a minute.” Erin says.

“Okay.” Ella nods. She sits watching Erin and sipping her tea.

When Erin opens her eyes again she is met with the Ella watching her and smiling.

“What?” Erin asks self-consciously.

“Nothing.” Ella shrugs and takes another drink of her tea. “You should rest.” She instructs.

“That’s all I’ve been doing.” Erin groans.

Ella giggles. “This is different. In _my_ bed. Close your eyes. Get comfy. Here, I’ll take your shoes off for you.” Ella offers and reaches for Erin’s shoes.

“NO.” Erin nearly yells.

Ella retracts her hands and raises an eyebrow at Erin.

“I mean- sorry- no. I didn’t mean to yell at you. But, you don’t want to touch my dirty shoes and feet.” Erin informs her. “I’m good like this.” Erin assures the princess. She doesn’t want the princess to have to touch her dirty gross shoes.

Ella rolls her eyes. “Whatever you say. I’m just trying to help.” Ella gets up and puts her, now, empty cup on the tea tray.

“And I appreciate it. I do. Thank you. So much, but you are the princess and I’m the servant.” Erin tells her of their places.

“Don’t remind me.” Ella grumbles. “Sometimes I don’t want to be the princess. I just want to be a normal girl.” Ella complains. She lifts the blanket and gets into the bed next to Erin. Ella scoots over as far as she can until she’s right next to Erin. Only the blanket and clothing separates their bodies. “I want to be able to do normal things. I want to have normal friends.” Ella rambles on.

“I’m not normal?” Erin asks as a joke.

Ella realizes what Erin is doing. “No. You’re the most normal, regular person that I know.” Ella says in earnest.

“Gee, thanks.” Erin jokes.

“You know what I mean.” Ella rolls her eyes with a smile. “You and Carm. You are my closest friends and you’re castle servants. I can’t seem to get along with people of royal status. I don’t know why.” Ella shrugs. “I just wish I could take a day off from being a princess and everything that comes along with it.” Ella finishes with a huff.

“Be careful what you wish for.” Erin tells the princess.

“Yeah.” Ella sighs and leans into Erin’s side, resting her head on Erin’s shoulder. Erin is surprised at first with Ella’s boldness. But remembers that’s one of the things she likes about the girl. She relaxes into the princess’s touch in her own way. She doesn’t dare touch the princess, but allows Ella to rest against her with ease.

Ella takes Erin’s left hand in her own. “Hey Aaron?” Ella whispers.

“Yes.” Erin replies.

“Did you get the letter?” Ella asks, sounding sad.

Erin completely forgot about the letter. Erin turn to look over at the princess. “I did.” Erin confirms with a smile.

“And?” Ella asks looking up at Erin’s through her eyelashes.

“And what?” Erin asks. She’s not sure what the princess is asking.

“And- and did you read it?” Ella asks nervously. She put a lot of time and effort into that letter.

Erin ducks her chin to her chest, looking away from Ella. She can’t face her. She’s too ashamed.

“Hey?” Ella tries to get Erin’s attention back. “What’s wrong? Didn’t you like it?” Ella asks. She’s afraid that what she wrote in the letter wasn’t good enough, wasn’t what Erin wanted to read. Erin shakes her head. “You didn’t like the letter.” Ella frowns, defeated. “I was sure you would have.” Ella looks away from Erin.

Erin realizes her error. It’s not that she didn’t like the letter that Ella wrote to her. “It’s not that.” She looks over to see the princess looking down at her lap. She swallows the lump in her throat, ready to reveal the truth. “I didn’t read it.” Erin admits.

Ella looks up, her forehead scrunched up in confusion. “Why?” She asks. Ella doesn’t understand this at all. Why wouldn’t Erin read the letter she wrote.

Erin looks away from Ella again. It’s hard to admit. She’s ashamed. “Because- I can’t read.” Erin admits in a whisper.

“Oh.” Ella mumbles. It all makes sense to her now. It’s quiet in the room for a moment, then Ella squeezes Erin’s hand. “Hey?” She gets Erin to look at her. “I’m sorry.” Ella apologizes.

“For what?” Erin scrunches up her brow. Ella’s words throw her for a loop.

“I should have realized that-“ Ella trails off not finishing her sentence. Erin frowns and looks down at her lap again. “Okay. Let’s forget about it.” Ella says. “Pretend it never happened.” Ella goes on. She’s so stupid for not realizing that Erin is a servant and comes from a small village and is probably uneducated. After all, usually, the only people that know how to read and write are of royal status. She wants to forget the letter if Erin can’t/won’t read it.

“No.” Erin protests softly. She won’t look at Ella but continues. “No. I don’t want to forget about it. It’s the nicest, most special thing anyone’s ever done for me.” Erin admits, finally looking at the princess with a sad smile. “So, thank you. I love it.” Erin tells her.

“But-“ Ella frowns, still confused. “You didn’t read it?” Erin shakes her head. She doesn’t know how it can be so special if Erin didn’t read the letter. “Then how?” Ella asks.

“It’s the thought that counts. It’s the fact that you took time to write me a letter.” Erin says honestly.

“Oh.” Ella nods.

“I still have it.” Erin tells her.

“Really?” Ella smiles at Erin.

“Yeah, it’s my most prized possession. Well, I don’t have many possessions but-“ Erin shrugs.

Ella gets an idea. “Do you want to know what it says?” Ella asks, biting her bottom lip.

“Mmm.” Erin thinks. “I don’t know. On one hand, it would be great if I could read it myself, but that’s not a possibility. On the other, it would be nice if someone could read it to me.” Erin says shyly. She doesn’t want to sound too enthusiastic about what’s in the letter, but she does really wants to know. “But, I don’t know any servants that can read- maybe Thomas-“ Erin thinks out loud.

Ella stops her though by turning to her. She pulls at Erin’s hand so it’s in her lap and not just between the two of them anymore. “You know I can read, right?” Ella smiles big.

“Yeah, but-“ Erin pretends to not like the idea. “I don’t know. Wasn’t the idea for me to read it by myself? Doesn’t it defeat the purpose if you read it to me?” Erin asks.

Ella squints at her. “You’re silly.” She smiles. “I’ll read it to you. Do you have it with you?” Ella asks. She’s eager for Erin to hear what she wrote.

Erin shakes her head. “No. It’s under my cot for safe keeping.”

Ella thinks for a moment and possibly comes up with a compromise. “How about I summarize it for you? I _am_ the one who wrote it.” Ella wiggles her eyebrows.

“Okay.” Erin sighs and smiles real big.

Ella thinks for a couple of seconds. She thinks back over what she wrote in the letter. She doesn’t want to leave any important parts out. “I wanted to write to you to tell you that I hoped you were okay. And to tell you that I was thinking about you. And that I hoped for a speedy recovery so I could see you again. Even though I didn’t know what your injury was or how it happened or anything. I wrote that I would miss your company during your recovery, but that I was eagerly awaiting the day you were all better. I also may have written that I liked you and I couldn’t wait to see you again.” Ella ducks her head shyly as she finishes her brief summary of the letter. “Was that too much?” She whispers.

“No. It’s perfect. I like you too Ella.” Erin says first. “I know I haven’t said it before and I know it causes all sorts of problems but-“

“Problems?” Ella looks up and cuts Erin off.

“Yeah.” Erin frowns. “You’re a princess. And I’m a groundskeeper, a servant. You shouldn’t even be spending time with me. You’re gonna have a birthday soon and your parents are going to find you a husband. A prince, or duke, or lord, or something. Somebody will come along that you will actually like and be able to get along with. You’ll find somebody. Problems like that.” Erin finishes. She knows it might be harsh, but it’s the reality of the situation. Erin also thinks of one more big problem that Ella doesn’t know about.

“But, I _actually_ like you.” Ella says sadly.

Erin sighs. “I know. And I’m sorry. If things were different-“ She trails off.

“Why do things have to be different?” Ella asks. “I like things with you just the way they are.” Ella asks, getting upset.

“You like us sneakily spending time together? Your mother saw me leaving your room one night and threatened me.” Erin tells her.

Ella furrows her brow and huffs out a frustrated breath. “Maybe you should go.” Ella tells Erin harshly. She let’s go of Erin’s hand and folds her arms over her chest.

Erin’s a bit taken aback. “What- I- okay-“ She settles sadly. “I’m sorry.” Erin mumbles.

“Don’t apologize.” Ella tells her, a bit coldly.

Erin nods and starts to push herself off the bed. She sits on the edge of the bed, her legs hanging off the side. “Are you mad at me?” Erin asks quietly, looking over her shoulder, back towards Ella.

Ella shakes her head. “I don’t know.” She won’t look at Erin. “I’m mad at the situation.” Ella says.

Erin nods. She understands that. She was mad at the situation at first before she came to terms with everything. Erin grabs her crutch and hobbles around the bed to gather the tea tray. She stops next to the princess and puts a hand on the princess’s shoulder. She wants to say she’s sorry again, but knows Ella won’t have it. “Have a good night, Ella.” She squeezes her shoulder with her hand before she uses it to take the tray from the bedside table. “And if I don’t see you tomorrow, have a good day.” Erin smiles genuinely and limps to the door.

“Thank you, my sweet boy.” Ella say with a sad smile.

Erin looks over her shoulder once more. “Sweet dreams, Princess.” Erin says, pulls the door open, and exits.

Something feels off this time when Erin leaves the princess’s bedroom. She just feels off. She doesn’t feel happy with the way things ended and the way she left. There’s an empty feeling in the pit of her stomach. Uneasy. Her steps are wobbly on her way back to the kitchen and it has nothing to do with her leg injury. Erin gets back to cot and the emotions get the best of her and a few tears fall as she drifts off to sleep.

* * *

 

Erin lays in bed the whole next day. Miss Mary hasn’t given her the okay to be on her feet yet. She sleeps mostly, feeling tired again. She also spends a lot of time staring at the letter. Carm brings her dinner when she doesn’t get up to get it herself.

“Are you gonna tell me what’s going on?” Carm asks.

“Nothing’s going on.” Erin tells her.

“Bullshit.” Carm calls it. “First, the princess is all crabby and irritable, and now you won’t even get out of bed to eat. And I know how much you like food.” Carm prods at Erin. She knows there’s something going on.

“It’s nothing really. I might have just reminded the princess that she’s well- a princess. And that I’m just me.” Erin shrugs against her cot.

“You’re an idiot.” Carm rolls her eyes.

“Thanks. I know.” Erin says dryly. “There’s not much I can do. Rules are rules. There’s nothing I can do about my circumstance.”

Carm doesn’t say anything. She can’t. She knows Erin’s right on that one. Erin can’t change who she is or the status she was born into. Carm hands Erin a bowl of soup and leaves right away.


	9. Chapter 9

It’s two days later when Miss Mary tells Erin that she can get out of bed for more than a few minutes at a time. Erin hasn’t left the servant’s quarters since she returned from the princess’s room.

She hasn’t talked to Carm either. The girl seemed extra busy and was hardly in the quarters over the last two days. Everyone is abuzz about something, but Erin hasn’t caught what they are all talking about. She makes her way up the stairs, after breakfast, with her crutch under her arm. Erin spots Thomas slaving away in the kitchen, but he doesn’t see her as she limps by.

All the servants are running around like crazy. Erin can only assume that some event is going on at the castle today that she doesn’t know about. She tries to stay out of the way as she makes her way outside. Nice fresh air will be good for her. Plus, she hasn’t been outside in almost two weeks.

She’s on her way over to the back garden when she spots them. She sees Carm first and then, standing maybe ten feet away, she sees the princess. The princess is smiling and it makes Erin smiles too. She loves the princess’s smile. Erin’s smile falls, however, when she sees the princess sitting on the bench with a man in an army uniform. The man is smiling too. Erin realizes suddenly what the servants were all buzzing about.

The princess has a visitor. Another potential suitor. Someone important from her father’s army from the looks of it.

Erin watches the man say something and sees the princess laugh at it. That’s all she needs to see to have her turning away and returning to it cot.

* * *

 

Erin sits down at the table next to Carm at breakfast the next morning. “Hey.” Carm says in greeting.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Erin asks flatly.

“You found out?” Carm questions back.

“I saw- yesterday.” Erin tells her.

“Sorry, buddy. I didn’t think you would want to know. I’m sort of stuck in the middle here.” Carm waves her spoon around in the air. “It’s nothing against you- I just-“

“Forget it.” Erin cuts her off. She waves Carm off and starts on her own breakfast.

Erin spends the day in the groundskeeper’s shed. She turns in early for the night.

* * *

 

The servants all start preparing for the princess’s birthday. Which is only three days away. It’s Erin and Ben’s day off. Ben invites Erin to go to the market with a wagon load of servants. She goes with and as they approach the market Ben gives Erin some money.

“What’s this for?” Erin asks, bewildered.

“It’s for you. You’ve had it rough lately. And you seemed kinda down in the dumps the last couple of days. Buy yourself something nice. Maybe it’ll help. Get a new shirt or shoes or something.” He just wants to help Erin out in any way that he can. Ben feels bad for the whole saw incident. He looks at Erin’s outfit. The one she’s showed up to the castle in. It’s clean but old and worn and falling apart. “Get something to wear to the princess’s birthday dance.”

Erin nods. She doesn’t question him further. “Thank you, Ben. Really. Thank you.” She appreciates him more now than ever. She might not be here without him. His quick thinking saved her life. That and Miss Mary’s awesome nursing skills.

Erin is amazed at the market. There’s stuff for sale at every turn. She’s not familiar with her surroundings and stays close to Ben as they walk the street. Erin searches nearly the whole market before she spots something that she might like and actually purchase. It’s a dark green, long sleeve shirt with gold trim at the collar and wrists. It’s the perfect shirt, Erin thinks.

* * *

 

“What did you do today?” Carm asks Erin at dinner. She hasn’t seen Erin all day.

“I went to the market with Ben. It was crazy. Ben gave me some money and I got a new shirt.” Erin smiles brightly.

Carm’s glad to see Erin smiling again. “That’s awesome buddy.” But she can’t help but tease. “I’m glad you got something other than that pathetic shirt you come here in.” Carm nudges Erin with her elbow. “Show me when I get back. I gotta put the princess to bed.” Carm stands and pats Erin on the shoulder.

“Carm?”

Carm stops and turns back to Erin. “Yeah?”

Erin has a very serious, somber look on her face. The wheels are turning inside her head. “Has she asked about me?” Carm’s face falls. She didn’t want this to come up. Carm looks at Erin sadly. “Or said anything about me? Good or bad?” Erin grimaces.

All Carm can do is shake her head. “Sorry, buddy. Nothing.”

Erin nods with a sad smile. “That’s alright. I guess it’s my fate.”

* * *

 

Miss Mary comes by Erin’s cot the next morning to check her wound and says that she can return to light work and doesn’t have to use the crutch anymore. “I will tell Ben this as well. Make sure he doesn’t allow you to work too much, hard. Light.” Miss Mary emphasizes with a point of her finger.

“Got it.” Erin grins.

It’s two days until the princess’s birthday party. Ben has Erin watering plants and flowers around the castle in the morning along with pruning roses. Fairly easy tasks. In the afternoon they do the usual cleaning of the garden together. They are finishing when Carm and the princess show up.

“Good afternoon, Princess.” Erin says with a polite smile. She’s trying to get a read on the princess. A response, a nod, anything.

The princess nods and smiles back but doesn’t say anything out loud. While Erin is glad to see the princess again, she is sad that the princess won’t talk to her.

They leave the garden and Ben goes to take his nap. Erin sits outside the shed and rests her leg and eyes.

Ben wakes her up from her nap after he wakes from his nap. “If you’re up to it, kid, we have some of the drive to fix up before tomorrow.”

Erin nods. “Sure.”

“Great.” Ben says and holds out his hand to help Erin up. “Tomorrow I’ll have you cutting the grass, but just in the morning. You’re still on light work duty. You’ll have the afternoon off. I’ll finish the grass myself. The next day after that is the party. We’ll do any last minute things, then enjoy the celebration. I expect to see you there in your new shirt.” Ben tells her, patting her on the back.

“Yes, sir.” Erin smiles.

“Now, let’s do this.” They work all afternoon.

Erin’s nearly asleep in her soup bowl when Carm shows up at dinner. “Long day?” She chuckles.

“Yeah. I don’t think I’m one hundred percent yet.” Erin tells her friend. For Erin, it’s good to be back to work, but she’s exhausted.

“You aren’t. But- all hands on deck for the birthday prep, right?” Carm asks jovially.

“Right.” Erin nods.

“Speaking of that-“ Carm takes a bite of soup, leaving Erin hanging on her words. “-the princess would like an audience with you.” Carm says formally.

“Huh.” Erin grunts, not quite comprehending.

Carm looks over at Erin. “The princess wants to see you, or talk to you, or both. I’m not sure, exactly.” Carm thinks it over. She’s not sure what the princess wants.

“Today?” Erin asks, finally looking over at Carm. She’s tired and just wants to sleep. If she doesn’t have to see the princess today that would be great and she could just go to bed.

Carm shrugs. “Sometime before her birthday.” She tells Erin.

Erin thinks of the prefect time. “I have tomorrow afternoon off, on account of my leg.” Erin informs Carm.

“Perfect. I’ll set it up.” Carm goes in hard on her soup now that she has business out of the way.

Erin is amused at Carm shoveling soup into her mouth like she hasn’t eaten in weeks. “Take it easy on that soup.” Erin tells her with a smile.

“I’m starving.” Carm pauses long enough to say.

Erin is in a better mood than she has been in the last few days. The work has helped. She’s nervous to see the princess again. When Carm told her that the princess wanted to see her she wasn’t excited about it at all, but as she lays in her cot thinking about it her thoughts change.

The princess didn’t say anything to her in the garden when they saw each other during the day. They haven’t seen each other in a number of days. And there’s that whole visitor the princess had thing. Erin starts to think of all the reasons why the princess could want to see her. Some are positive but all Erin can focus on are the negative ones. Erin falls asleep with those thoughts.

* * *

 

Erin has breakfast the next day and then finds Ben. Miss Mary woke Erin early and checked her wound and re-bandaged it. Miss Mary has downsized the bandage on Erin’s leg to just a thin piece of cloth wrapped over Erin’s wound. It’s more to protect it than anything else. The wound has long since been closed. There’s a nice sized scab there now and Miss Mary doesn’t want anything rubbing or pulling the scab off prematurely like Erin’s pants leg.

She walks with Ben out to the groundskeeper’s shed. He tells her which parts of the castle lawn to cut and that he’ll do the rest after lunch. Erin cuts lawn until her leg starts to become uncomfortable and she starts to limp a little.

Erin returns to the shed to find Ben working on something. “Done already?” He teases.

Erin nods. “My leg hurts.” She knows not to go too long and possibly do damage to her leg. She also knows that Ben wouldn’t like or allow her to do that.

“Okay. Take the rest of the day off, kid. Gotta have you ready for tomorrow.” Ben winks at Erin.

“What’s tomorrow?” Erin asks.

“The princess’s celebration.” Ben says, eyeing Erin like she should know that.

“Right.” Erin nods. She thought Ben was referring to something other than the celebration. “See ya later, Ben.” She mumbles and leaves the shed.

Erin returns to the servant’s quarters and waits for lunch. It’s not long until lunch, but Erin sits down on her cot and rolls up her pants leg. The bandage is still clean so that’s good. The wound didn’t open up while she was working.

For the first time all day she thinks about her afternoon and the princess. When she’s working she’s focused on that and it distracts her from thoughts about the princess. Erin’s unsure of where she stands with the princess and that is very unnerving for her.

“Aaron.” Carm yells into the large room. Erin furrows her brow, rolls her pants leg down, and stands from her cot. Carm spots her and they start making their way towards each other. “Be ready. After lunch. In the garden.” Carm tells her.

Erin nods with a tight-lipped smile. “Thanks, Carm.”

“Don’t thank me. This is all the princess. I’m just the messenger.” Carm has her bowl and goes over to the table to eat.

“Should I eat?” Erin asks, following her.

“Yeah.” Carm nods. “No picnic today.” She adds.

Erin gets her lunch and sits down to eat. Carm is already gone. “How fast can she eat?” Erin wonders out loud, fully knowing that Carm is probably extra busy with birthday celebration stuff and the princess.

Erin’s waiting in the garden for the two of them to show up. She expects to see Ben there cleaning up the garden but he’s not. She spots him, instead, cutting the lawn on the far corner of the property. Erin sits on the bench and waits nervously.

“Hey.” Erin hears the princess’s voice and looks around to spot her standing at the edge of the garden. Carm isn’t with her. The princess smiles, genuine, when their eyes meet. Erin thinks it’s a good sign and stands up. She takes a few steps but waits for the princess to close the rest of distance between them.

“How are you today, Princess?” Erin asks politely.

“I’m good.” Ella nods with a pleasant smile.

“Glad to hear. Where’s Carm?” Erin asks. Her curiosity getting the best of her. She expected Carm to come with the princess.

Ella shrugs and looks around the area. She comes back to meet Erin’s eye’s again. “I told her to go get some rest, take a nap. That I’ll be busy for the next period of time. And that I would be okay cuz I wouldn’t be by myself. I had someone to look out for me.” Ella bites her lip.

“O-kay.” Erin’s eyes widen slightly. She wasn’t expecting all that for an explaination.

“Can we sit?” Ella gestures to the bench.

“Yes, please. My leg is killing me.” Erin mumbles out loud.

“Why didn’t you say something?” Ella asks with a hint of concern in her voice. She doesn’t want to cause Erin any more pain. Erin shrugs and sits on the bench. “Actually-“ Ella stands in front of Erin, looking down at her. “-I thought we could sit on the ground under the tree.” Ella offers.

“But, what about your dress?” Erin asks. She doesn’t want the princess to get dirt on her dress on account of her. “We don’t have a blanket.”

“So what?” Ella smirks. “Come on.”

The nerves rise in Erin. She gets up and follows Ella to sit on the ground. This isn’t how she thought this would go at all. Erin tried not to have any pre-conceived notions about their meeting but her mind wandered. The princess seems happy, content. The princess even seems sweet on Erin again. Not that she ever wasn’t.

“So?” Erin decides it’s time to ask about their meeting. “Why did you want to see me?” She asks. Erin sits on the ground with her legs crossed in front of her. Ella lays on her side, propped up by her elbow, facing Erin. The princess draws patterns in the grass with her index finger. Ella won’t look up from watching her finger move about. “What is it?” Erin asks, sensing Ella’s odd behavior.

Ella shrugs. “I just- I don’t know how to explains this to you but-“ Ella says still looking down at the ground.

Erin doesn’t like the way Ella starts out this conversation. She gulps hard. “Okay.” She tries to remain calm but her heart rate increases at Ella’s words. “Just take your time. Say whatever you want. Whatever you feel comfortable. And be honest.” Erin advises.

“Okay.” Ella takes a deep breath. “A couple of days ago I had a visit from a man. He’s in my father’s army. A knight in shining armor, one might say. He didn’t wear his armor though. Just his army uniform. But, he still looked nice.” Ella pauses, licks her lips, and looks over to see Erin’s reaction to her story. To Ella, Erin seems indifferent so far.

Erin definitely doesn’t like the way this is going right now. She doesn’t like what Ella is saying.

“We had a good time together. He was nice, polite, a gentleman. He didn’t do anything I wasn’t okay with. And he made me laugh. In my head, that was it. The search was over. I thought I didn’t need to worry about finding someone to marry anymore. It was him.” Ella pauses again and takes a deep breath. This isn’t easy for her.

Erin shrinks at what Ella is telling her. She knew this was a possibility. That this could happen.

“I thought I could marry him. And he didn’t annoy me. His personality fit with mine. He was a perfect match. I thought, I’m ready.” Ella gulps dryly.

Erin hangs her head. It’s like her worst thoughts coming to life. “Why are you telling me all this?” Erin asks with tears in her voice. Couldn’t Ella just tell her that she had found someone to marry and leave it at that and not go into detail about the guy.

Ella frowns. “Because you need to know.”

Erin nods. She supposes Ella is correct. “Well, can you finish your story, please?” Erin begs wanting this conversation to be over as soon as possible.

“Sure. So, I was all set to tell my parents that I had made a decision. For two days, I thought about it. I thought- I thought- I thought- but then something happened.” Ella smiles even though Erin isn’t looking at her.

“What?” Erin asks automatically.

“I saw you in the garden the other day.” Erin looks up at this. Ella nods and smiles big. “I saw you in the garden.” She says again, slowly. “And that’s when it hit me. I was thinking and thinking is great but- I was using my head. I thought he was right for me to marry. But, I was only using my head. I didn’t use my heart at all.” Ella points to her chest. “I can’t marry someone who’s not in my heart.” Ella smiles at Erin. “I-“

“Don’t say it.” Erin cuts her off. “I understand.”

Ella reaches for Erin’s hand and Erin allows her to take hold of it. “I missed you.” She says. “I can’t marry him. I can’t marry anybody.” Erin nods. Ella smiles shyly. “I’m sorry. Can you forgive me?” Ella asks, already knowing that Erin will.

Erin nods. “Yeah.” She chuckles. “We’re a mess.”

Ella giggles along with Erin. “Yeah.” She agrees.

“So, now what?” Erin asks.

“We enjoy the afternoon together.” Ella says simply. “It’s a beautiful day.”

“With a beautiful girl.” Erin says, grinning at the princess. Ella ducks her head and her cheeks heat up. Erin squeezes her hand. “I’m just speaking the truth.” Erin tells her. “I’ve never met a prettier girl in my whole entire life. Your eyes. They’re my favorite. Well, them and your smile. But, your eyes. There’s something about them that I love.” Erin’s bold. Now that she knows what the princess has said and is feeling.

Ella looks shyly. “Really?”

Erin nods confidently. “Yep, I love your eyes. Ella, they’re this really cool color. I think most of the time they are this kind of green color but then other times they are a grey or sometimes closer to brown. I don’t know. They change.” Erin rambles about Ella’s eye color.

“Wow.” Ella says in awe. “You pay a lot of attention to my eyes.” Ella laughs.

Erin shrugs. “What can I say? They’re my favorite.” Ella smiles. She loves this side of Erin that she’s seeing. It makes her smile and she’s proud that she made to right decision. “At least unless you’re smiling.” Erin adds, her eyes shifting from Ella’s eyes to her smile.

“Stop.” Ella ducks her head and giggles. She likes all the attention from Erin but is definitely not used to it.

Erin lays down on her side, mirroring the princess’s position. They look at each other for a long while, just soaking in each other. It’s been longer than usually that they’re been apart and just being in the same space again is refreshing.

“There you two are.” Carm comes by. She stops a few feet away from them. “What’s going on?” She asks, folding her arms over her chest.

“Nothing.” Erin and Ella say at the same time, looking to Carm with twin smiles.

“I don’t believe that.” Carm rolls her eyes.

“Is someone crabby after their nap?” Erin teases. Ella laughs at the joke. Erin smiles over at Ella laughing. She loves the sound of that laugh. Erin sits up slowly and Ella follows suit.

Carm narrows her eyes at Ella. “You told him.” Carm accuses. Ella just shrugs. Carm then trains her eyes on Erin. “And no, I’m not crabby. But it’s nice for you concern. So, are you two gonna tell me what’s going on here or not?” Carm asks with a huff. Erin looks to Ella and they both shakes their heads. “Fine. Let’s go, Princess. You’ve got your final dress fitting before tomorrow’s party.” Carm informs.

Ella looks over at Erin with an apologetic smile on her face. Erin narrows her eyes and then nods towards Carm. Ella turns to address Carm. “Can Aaron come with?” Ella asks timidly.

“NO.” Carm shouts. “You will be in a state of undress, Princess. That is not an appropriate situation.” Carm scolds.

Ella pouts. “But-“

“No.” Carm puts her foot down. “Now, let’s go. Not everybody gets the afternoon off like Aaron here.” Carm narrows her eyes at Erin.

Erin shrugs and raises her hands in the air in innocence. “Hey, I’m injured. I can’t help it.” Erin defends.

“Yeah, he’s injured. Leave him alone.” Ella pipes up. Erin smiles proud that Ella is standing up for her.

“You two are terrible.” Carm rolls her eyes.

“Calm down, Carm. I’m coming.” Ella says. She gives Erin one more smile. “Bring me my evening tea.” Ella instructs.

Erin smiles and nods. “Did you hear that Carm? You get the night off.” Erin smirks. “Be happy.”

“It’s your bath night. I do not get the night off.” Carm informs the princess.

Both Erin and Ella frown. “But, Aaron can still bring my tea, right?” Ella asks quietly.

Carm turns away from them and starts walking away. “Yes. Now, let’s go.” Carm demands.

“I’ll see you later.” Ella tells Erin.

“Bye.” Erin says back.

Erin sits in the garden for a little longer. It really is a beautiful day. She goes back to cot after and sleeps for the rest of the afternoon.

* * *

 

Erin is awake by dinner time. She feels refreshed and is excited to see the princess again. She was certain during the early parts of their time together in the garden that the princess was going to tell her she was marrying that soldier guy and that they couldn’t spend time together anymore. That’s not what happened and she finds herself smiling into her soup as an after affect.

“You’re the luckiest bastard I ever met.” Carm says to Erin as she sits down next to her. Erin smiles some more. “The fine princess of our kingdom won’t marry any of the fine suitors that the King and Queen have brought in to meet with her because of you.” Carm grumbles. “What kind of devil magic do you possess?” She asks. “I mean really. You must be the most charming fucker in the whole kingdom.” Carm adds.

“I’m just being myself.” Erin says simply.

“Well, yourself has a date with the princess after her bath. She even told me I won’t be braiding her hair tonight.” Carm shovels soup into her mouth. “Are you secretly trying to steal my job?” Carm side-eyes Erin.

“You know that’s not allowed.” Erin plays the ‘I’m a guy’ card.

“Yeah, well-“ Carm shrugs. “-come up after a little while. I’ll answer the door. No barging in. Even if the princess says to.” Carm tells her. She doesn’t want any funny business.

“Okay.” Erin agrees to the instructions she’s giving. Not that she has a choice.

After dinner Miss Mary comes over to Erin. She takes the bandage off and looks at the wound. “Looks great. The scab is starting to fall off. No picking at it though. It probably itches a little.” Miss Mary looks to Erin for a response. Erin nods. “Okay. Another easy day tomorrow. Which shouldn’t be hard considering the celebration. I’ll come by in the morning to wrap it again. But, if it looks good, day after tomorrow you can return to work.” Miss Mary informs.

“Awesome.” Erin pumps her fist in the air. That’s the second best news she’s heard all day.

* * *

 

Erin takes the tea tray up to the princess’s room and knocks on the door. She anxious as she waits to be let in. Carm opens the door and Erin see the princess sitting on the edge of her bed in her nightgown. “Hi.” Erin mumbles to Carm. Her eyes looking past her to Ella on the bed.

“I’ll just show myself out.” Carm groans at the look on Erin’s face. She knows neither of them are gonna pay Carm much attention. She slips past Erin as Erin enters the room with the tea.

“Hi.” She says to the princess.

“Will you braid my hair?” Ella asks, holding out the brush towards Erin.

Erin knew the question was coming. “Certainly.” She smiles. “Would you like tea now or after?” Erin asks as she sets the tray down.

“Later.” Ella holds out her hand for Erin. Erin takes hold of it and Ella pulls her towards the bed. “Braid, first.” Ella whispers, locking eyes with Erin.

Erin nods. She climbs onto the bed, crawls on her knees behind Ella. She runs her fingers through Ella’s hair. Starting at the scalp and just feeling through it to the bottom tips. “Brush?” Erin asks. Ella hands the brush to her and Erin gently starts brushing through the princess’s beautiful blonde hair.

“That feels really good.” Ella moans. “Don’t ever stop.” She adds, a bit dramatically.

Erin laughs. “Well, if you want your hair braided I’ll have to stop brushing it eventually.”

Ella sighs. “Fine. Braid away.” She really enjoyed Erin just brushing her hair. She is so soft and gentle and Ella likes the feel of the brush running through her hair. She sits on the bed making all sorts of humming and sighing noises as Erin work with her hair.

“All done.” Erin says after a few minutes. Neither of them spoke during the braiding, too lost in the moment to do so.

“Hmm.” Ella hums. She rocks back and forth in her place before standing and leaving Erin kneeling on the bed. Ella spins on her heels and again holds her hand out. Erin takes it without hesitation. Ella pulls her braid over her left shoulder and plays with the end between her fingers. Her eyes glance down quickly at the braid.

“Did I do a good job?” Erin asks when she sees Ella inspecting the braid.

“The best.” Ella connects their eyes. “Thank you.” She says and Erin nods with a small smile. Ella leans closer and closer until there’s only an inch or so between their faces. “May I?” Ella asks in a whisper. And again Erin just nods. Ella closes the distance and presses her lips to Erin’s. It’s quick. Just a peck. Their lips touch quickly and then they’re gone. Ella looks down at Erin, who still has her eyes closed. She grins and leans in again. This time she presses her lips to Erin’s more firmly and confidently. Ella pulls back and smiles at Erin. Ella pokes her on the tip of the nose and Erin’s eyes pop open.

“Hey.” Ella smiles wide. “Was that okay?” She asks.

Erin nods and licks her lips. “That was- that was the greatest thing ever.” She smiles. Her words make Ella laugh.

Erin is practically giddy now. She feels alive, like something has been awakened inside her. “Can we do that again?” She asks, biting her lip.

Ella laughs harder. “Maybe.” She teases.

“Please?” Erin nearly begs. Ella laughs more. “Pretty, please?” Erin lets go of Ella’s hand and reaches out for the princess’s waist with both hands. She places her palms on Ella’s waist and pulls her closer until their bodies are nearly touching. Ella’s eyes widen and Erin sees the panic there. She immediately let’s go of Ella and starts to put some space between them. Erin duck her head in shame. She shouldn’t have been so bold. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have touched you like that.” Erin mumbles.

Ella sighs. “It’s okay. I was just surprised.” She takes each of Erin’s hands and returns them to her waist.

Erin looks up, surprised herself. She smiles shyly at the princess. “This is okay?” She asks. Erin wants to make sure that Ella is comfortable with everything and anything that happens between them.

“Yes.” Ella confirms with a nod. She then lifts her hands and rests them on Erin’s shoulders. “And this is okay?” Ella asks. Erin nods. “Good.” Ella smirks and leans in for another kiss. This time she experiments a little bit with it. Erin plays along, changing and trying different kisses. They both explore this new territory together.

Ella’s the one to pull away after a few minutes of exchanging kiss with Erin. “Wow.” She says breathlessly.

“Same here.” Erin grins.

Ella licks her lips and eyes up and down Erin’s body. Her fingers stretch up and she locks them together on the back of Erin’s neck. “So, now what?” She repeats Erin’s words from earlier in the day.

Erin shrugs. “Your tea is probably getting cold.”

Ella laughs. “You’re probably right.”

“Let me pour you some.” Erin offers. “Please.” She’s delighted to do anything for Ella, even if it’s just pouring her tea.

Ella takes her hands away from Erin’s neck and steps backwards causing Erin’s hands to fall away from her waist. Erin hops off the bed and goes over to the bedside table and starts pouring the tea. Ella, meanwhile, climbs onto the bed and under the blankets. Erin hands Ella the tea and Ella pats the spot on the bed next to her for Erin to sit. Erin does.

“So, tomorrow’s your birthday. Are you excited?” Erin asks, folding her hands in her lap.

“Yes and no.” Ella says honestly. “I’m excited for the dinner and the dance but not all the greeting of the guests and making useless conversation and stuff like that that I’ll have to do.” Ella grumbles. “Will you be there?” She asks suddenly.

“I’ll be around, I’m sure. Now that I can actually walk and stuff. Did you know the servants have their own little dance after you turn in for the night?” Erin asks.

Ella takes Erin’s hand. “I did.” She squeezes it. “Will you dance with me?” She asks hopefully.

“How?” Erin doesn’t know how that would be possible.

“Ya know, you shuffle your feet around holding onto your partner. You’ve danced before, right?” Ella can’t believe she has to explain dancing to Erin.

“I have but that’s not what I meant. I meant how am I supposed to dance with you. I can’t just come over to you and ask for you to dance with me in front of all the royal people.” Erin explains.

“Oh.” Ella remembers sadly that they aren’t equals. “I’ll come to your dance then.” Ella shrugs and looks at Erin like that’s the solution.

It’s not.

“You can’t do that.” Erin wants to laugh.

“I’m the princess.” Ella puffs out her chest. “I can do whatever I want.”

Erin frowns. “Well, that might be true, but I can’t have you doing that. First off, it would expose us. Second, I don’t want all the other servants knowing. Gossip flies through this castle quicker than leaves in the wind. Your parents would find out by the next morning.” Erin says grimly.

“So let them.” Ella protests.

“What? No. Ella, please?” Erin thinks of something to remedy the situation, a compromise. “I’ll make sure I get to dance with you on your birthday. I’ll come find you tomorrow night. After your dance.” Erin smiles for Ella, a promise.

“You’ll miss your servant dance.” Ella pouts. She wants Erin to have fun too.

“I don’t care. I’d miss a thousand dances if it meant I got to dance with you.” Erin tells the princess.

Ella bites her lip, charmed. “You got yourself a deal, my boy.” Ella grins. “I can’t wait til tomorrow.” Ella is now actually excited about the dance tomorrow. It would have been fun but with this added bonus that Erin promised she can’t help but be excited.

“Do you want me to go? Then you can go to sleep and it will be tomorrow.” Erin says.

“No. Stay here. I want you to stay here for as long as possible. Plus, I’m too excited. I probably won’t be able to fall asleep right away.” Ella says cuddling into Erin’s side.

Erin lifts her arm and wraps it around Ella’s shoulders and pulls the girls in tighter to her side. She presses a kiss to Ella’s temple. “Okay, I won’t leave yet.” She says and they cuddle together as Ella drinks her tea.

“This is cold, by the way.” Ella says, jiggling the tea cup. Erin laughs.

When Erin does leave it’s because the princess was drifting off to sleep and couldn’t keep a conversation going anymore.

“Goodnight, Ella.” Erin whispers as she gets out of bed. “And may I be the first to wish you a very happy birthday.” Erin grins, delighted that she is the first to wish the princess a happy birthday. It’s mean something special to her.

Ella smiles sleepily. “Thank you.”

Erin presses a kiss to her forehead, collects the tea tray and makes her exit.


	10. Chapter 10

Erin is watering all the plants surrounding the castle, per Ben’s orders. He wants everything to looks as good as possible for the arriving guests. Erin returns to the groundskeeper’s shed and finds Ben again when she’s finished. They leave the shed with brooms in hand moments later. Ben leads Erin to the garden behind the castle. They sweep and clean up the garden like usual but only earlier in the day. The two go on to sweep any and all paths and walkways around the castle. They clean up all the garden areas and put away anything that’s laying around that doesn’t need to be out.

The guests start arriving mid-afternoon. Erin hasn’t seen the princess all day, but when Ben releases her to go get ready for the dinner she spots her for the first time. Coming down the front staircase, walking arm in arm with her father out to an arriving carriage. The princess is absolutely radiant in the afternoon sun.

Erin stops to get a good look. The princess takes her breath away. Even from so far away. She thinks she is the luckiest person in the entire kingdom. When the princess starts to greet her newest arrival Erin continues on towards the side entrance of the castle to get ready for the dinner and dance.

Every servant is to be ready and waiting in the wings for anything any guests might need. It’s very boring and dull but they are required to stand at the edges of the room while the royals enjoy the evening. Erin waits and watches throughout dinner. No one near her requires anything. Which she is thankful for. It’s very boring and Erin spends most of her time during dinner watching the princess and her family and daydreaming.

The band starts up once the king finishes a speech for his daughter. They play song after song. The guests slowly start to rise for dance. They take turns dancing until the king leads his daughter out to the dance floor for their traditional father/daughter dance. Erin is mesmerized once again by Ella dancing. She wishes it was her out there dancing with the princess but knows that it’s not possible. Rules.

Carm sneaks up on Erin. “Hey, buddy.” She says.

Erin barely flinches. “Hey.” She mumbles. Her eyes trained on the princess.

“She’s a great dancer.” Carm says, eyeing the same thing as Erin.

“Yeah.” Erin mumbles again, too caught up.

“Not much for talking tonight, are ya?” Carm asks.

“What?” Erin blinks and finally looks over at Carm for the first time since she arrived next to her. “Sorry. I was-“ Erin looks back to the dance floor.

“-distracted.” Carm finishes for her with a raised eyebrow.

“Yeah.” Erin mumbles.

“You’re useless.” Carm laughs. “This shindig is almost over. I can’t wait to get out there and show you my awesome dance moves.” Carm says idly. She knows Erin is probably only half listening.

“I won’t see them.” Erin finally picks up a few conservations skills.

Carm’s intrigued by this. “Why’s that? Are you suddenly blind?” She asks with humor.

“No, I just won’t be here.” Erin shrugs.

“Oh really?” Carm asks. She wants to know what could possibly keep Erin away from the servant’s dance. “And where will you be?”

Erin looks around to make sure nobody around them is listening to their conversation. “With the princess.” Erin smirks.

Carm raises both of her eyebrows at Erin. She should have known. “You sneaky devil.” She smacks Erin on the back. “So, what’s the plan?” Carm asks.

Erin turns to Carm and grabs hold of her elbow. “Keep it down.” Erin hisses and looks around. She leads Carm to a quiet, vacant corner. “I’m gonna tell you this and you will never mention it to anyone, ever.” Carm nods. “When the princess- and you- leave the dance to help her to bed I’m gonna go downstairs and change out of my work shirt into the shirt that I got the other day. Then I’ll make my way up to the princess’s room. You will leave and come back down to the dance and the princess and I will have a dance of our own. She requested that I dance with her on her birthday. This is the only way that can happen.” Erin explains.

“Wow.” Carm is impressed. “This is a real thing. With the two of you.”

“Yeah, it’s real. Why wouldn’t it be?” Erin asks, offended. Why would Carm assume it’s not real? Erin wouldn’t be doing all of this if it wasn’t real.

Carm shrugs. “No real reason. Just rules and stuff.” Carm says off-hand. “But, good for you.” She says genuinely, with a smile to match. “I’m happy you’re both happy and figuring this thing out. I’m sure it’s not easy.” Carm tells her friend. She pats Erin on the arm in sympathy. She can’t imagine having to do what Erin does to see the princess and risking everything in the process.

“It’s not easy, but she’s worth it.” Erin says wistfully.

“Okay, in that case- I should get over to the princess and- you- go change.” Carm tells Erin.

Erin smiles brightly. “You don’t need to tell me twice. See ya in a little bit.” Erin turns on her heels and she and Carm go in opposite directions.

* * *

 

There’s no tea to bring tonight so Erin plays nervously with her hands as she walks through the castle to the princess’s room. It’s just Ella and just Ella doesn’t make her nervous anymore now that she knows the girl. But the thought of dancing with the princess does make her nervous.

She knocks. “Just a minute.” It’s Carm’s voice.

A minute later Carm opens the door and pushes past Erin who’s standing in the doorway. “Have a good evening.” Is all Carm says as she goes.

Erin goes in and the princess is standing in the middle of the room. “You’re still wearing your dress.” Erin smiles. “It looks very nice on you.” Erin compliments.

“Thank you.” Ella ducks her head shy, blushing. “I wanted to dance with you still wearing my birthday dress.” Ella tells Erin quietly. “And you look nice too. Is that a new shirt?” Ella asks, curiously.

“Yes, it is. Thank you.” Erin says and steps closer to where Ella is standing. She stops in front of the princess and holds her hand out. “May I have this dance, Princess?” Erin asks politely.

“Wait.” Ella won’t take Erin’s hand. “I don’t want to do this here.”

Erin scrunches up her face. “Then where are we gonna do it?” Erin asks, confused. She drops her hand to her side and looks down at the floor.

“I want music.” Ella pouts.

“There isn’t any.” Erin says dumbly.

“I know.” Ella says still pouting.

Erin thinks for a moment. How is she gonna get the princess music? She remembers the song the band was playing when Ella was dancing with her father. She starts humming the song. Erin’s a few bars in when Ella finally recognizes the song that Erin is humming. A happy smile overtakes the pout on the princess’s face.

Erin pauses her hum and holds out her hand for Ella again. “May I have this dance, Princess?” She asks again.

Ella grins ear to ear, delighted. “You may.” She reaches up and takes hold of Erin’s proffered hand.

Erin pulls Ella to her. Their hands connected and Erin’s other hand finding Ella’s hip. Ella’s remaining hand coming to rest on Erin’s shoulder. Erin hums the tune again and they dance around in slow circles in Ella’s bedroom with happy smiles on their faces. Erin hums the song a total of three times before they break their hold of each other.

“Thank you.” Ella says, ducking her head shyly.

“You’re very welcome, Princess.” Erin bows to her, making a show of it.

“Stop it.” Ella whines at Erin’s antics. “Aaron, stop it.”

Erin stands up straight and smiles at the princess. “What’s next on the birthday list?” She wants to make Ella’s every wish come true today.

Ella thinks about Erin’s question. “I’m exhausted.” She says truthfully. “And- I want to get out of this dress now that I’ve done the only thing I wanted to do today.”

“O-kay.” Erin stutters. She wasn’t really prepared for what was to come after the dancing. The nerves hit her hard.

“I need help though.” Ella smiles. “You need to untie the back so I can take the dress off.”

Erin nods subconsciously. Her eyes widen slightly at the task that is given to her. “Okay.”

Ella giggles. “It’s not that bad.” She says and turns around so her back faces Erin. “Just untie it and I can take it off and put my nightgown on.” Ella instructs.

Erin nods even though Ella can’t see her. Her fingers shake and fumble with the strings at first, but she gets the ribbon untied and starts to loosen the tight fabric. The skin of Ella’s back is more and more visible with each row of ties that is loosened. Erin finally gets to the bottom and has to gulp down the lump in her throat so she can talk. “All done.” She says.

“Okay. Now I need you to turn around and close your eyes. NO peeking.” Ella giggles.

“Okay.” Erin does as she’s told and listens as Ella starts changing behind her.

A couple minutes pass while Ella changes. “I’m done.” She tells Erin when finished.

Erin opens her eyes and spins around so she can see the princess again. Ella is standing there in her nightgown. “I need you to tie it up, please?” Ella asks referring to the back of her nightgown.

Erin nods and goes around behind the princess to tie the night dress together. She puts a hand on Ella’s hip when she’s done and spins her around. Erin leans down and presses her lips to Ella’s for a sweet kiss. She’s been thinking about kissing Ella since the last time they kissed, which was just a day ago, but seems too long for Erin. “Happy Birthday, Ella.” Erin says softly after the kiss.

Ella sighs happily. She takes Erin by the hand to the bed. Ella throws back the blankets and crawls onto the bed. She pulls Erin with behind her and covers them up with the blankets without much protest from Erin.

“I shouldn’t be in your bed like this.” Erin stats. Rules.

“Shh, I make up the rules in here. And I say it’s allowed.” Ella tells her. Erin just nods. Ella smiles, happy and cuddles into Erin’s side with a big yawn. “Let’s sleep.” She suggests.

“But-“ Erin starts.

Ella puts her finger to Erin’s lips shushing her. “I said sleep and-“ She reaches up and grabs Erin’s hat off of her head before Erin can stop her. Erin’s hair falls from the hat. Ella tilts her head to her side and gives Erin a confused look. “You have long hair?” Ella asks.

Erin’s hair isn’t even that long. It’s shoulder length but with it twisted up and tucked into her hat no one can tell how long it is. “I’ve never met a man with hair as long as yours.” Ella says, stunned.

Erin’s face falls. It betrays her like nothing else. Even more so than her hair. Sure, she could have cut her hair shorter. She could have done that and looked the part of a boy better. But she felt like it was one of the last things she had to hold onto that reminded her of who she really was.

It’s not easy pretending to live as a male every day. But, it was what worked at the time. And she was stuck was it. She could keep lying. She could tell Ella that she just prefers that her hair be long. She could do so many things right now. Erin knows that this moment in time is pivotal. A point that she can’t go back from. She either tells the truth or she continues to lie. Setting up the course for the future. But…

Ella just looks at Erin curiously. Erin knows that Ella doesn’t have a clue about what her hair means. The dots are not connecting for the princess. She doesn’t see the reason. Erin knows this is gonna be a lot more difficult than she wanted it to be. “I can explain.” She mumbles at first. “If you’ll let me.” Erin’s more nervous and scared than she’s ever been around the princess. She sits back a little so there’s some distance between them. Erin has to detach. She runs her finger through her own hair, getting all the knots out.

“Why wouldn’t I let you?” Ella’s stuck on the explaining part. She’s super confused.

Erin takes a long, deep breath. “Ella, I’m gonna tell you something. And I ask you to let me finish everything have to say before you freak out and banish me from your room.”

Ella gets a worried look on her face. “I don’t like the sound of that. You’re not making any sense. Aaron, what’s going on?”

There’s a panic in the princess voice and it pains Erin. She’s potentially about to ruin everything and break the princess’s heart. She never wanted it to come to this but she thinks it was probably inevitable. Erin pushes further away Ella and actually gets out of the bed. She needs some distance.

Ella follows after Erin, crawling on her knees, to the edge of the bed. There’s fear etched into her face. She’s scared with the way Erin is acting. “Aaron?” She begs for answers.

“I’m sorry.” Erin starts. “I really am.” She takes another deep breath. “I’ve been lying. To you. To everyone.”

Ella looks like she’s about to cry. Erin hates it.

Erin starts into the story anyway. It’s now or never. “When the King and Queen’s carriage stopped where I was sleeping on the street I was dressed in pants, a shirt, and a cap. I had been looking for work but no one would take me on. I was starving and struggling to stay alive.” Erin explains.

“I know that.” Ella whimpers sadly.

“Please, don’t cry.” Erin begs.

“What’s going on?” Ella asks, her bottom lip trembling.

Erin locks eyes with the princess. “Ella, I have long hair cuz I’m not a guy.” She spills the truth.

“What? That doesn’t make-“ Ella starts but stops. Her eyes go wide; her mouth hangs open. “Y-you mean-“ Ella stutters. The tears now falling from her eyes.

Erin has to look away from the princess. “I’ve been dressing as a man for a long time now.” She hangs her head and speak in an even monotone voice. “When your parents picked me up they just assumed, because of the way was dressed, that I was a boy. And I never corrected them. Not that I wanted to. It was the best thing that had happened to me in a long time and I wasn’t gonna mess it up.” Erin stands a few feet from the bed, looking down at her feet.

“Why?” Ella asks with a sniffle.

Erin looks up and her heart breaks at the sad looking princess. She wants to go to her but- “Why what?” She asks instead.

“Why dress as a man?” Ella asks through her tears.

Erin sighs. She’s gonna have to tell Ella the truth. The whole truth. She thinks that the princess deserves at least that much. “I told you I had two sisters. One older and one younger. The older one got married and moved out of our family home, but my younger sister and I still lived with our parents. One night something happened.” Erin pauses. She gulps down the emotions that are rising in throat in re-tell the story.

“The house was on fire. A lamp must have gotten knocked over or something. My sister and I slept together in the same bed, in the same room. It was a small house. My sister woke me up when she smelled the smoke. We got out but- but my parents didn’t.” Erin wipes the single tear away that falls. “My older sister said she could take in one of us. But, that she could only take in one. I wanted it to be my sister cuz she was younger. I figured I could survive on my own. I was wrong.” Erin sighs sadly again. It’s a painful story to re-tell.

“So, I got some clothes from my sister’s husband and started dressing as a man and looking for work. There isn’t much work in a small village, apparently. I couldn’t find work. I stayed with random people that were kind enough to take me in for a night or two but that ended soon enough and I found myself sleeping on the street with no family, no work. Your father found me and literally saved my life.” Erin finishes her story and there’s silence in the room.

“I can go now.” Erin mumbles towards to feet. She doesn’t get a response from the princess and starts shuffling her way to the door. She opens the door to leave when an arm finds its way around her waist. The princess squeezes onto her from behind. Ella has her face buried in the back of Erin’s new shirt, soaking it with tears in seconds. “You have to let go, so I can leave.” Erin says quietly. She doesn’t want this to be hard for either of them. If Ella would just let go it would be easier.

The princess mumbles something into Erin’s back that Erin can’t understand. “Princess?” Erin begs. This is too much for her to take. Since, Ella won’t let go of her Erin closes the bedroom door. She’s gonna have to face Ella and handle this. She tries to turn around but Ella clings onto her back.

“Hey, can I see you, at least?” Erin asks as calmly as possible. She has to be the strong you here, now. Slowly, Ella loosens her grip on Erin. Enough so Erin can spin around in her arms. Erin looks at the sad looking girl before her. She raises her hands and wipes the tears falling from Ella’s eyes with her thumbs.

“I’m sorry I made you cry. I never wanted you to cry because of me.” Erin tells her. Ella shakes her head as the tears keep falling. “Hey.” Erin wraps her arms around Ella securely for a strong hug. She places a kiss to the top of Ella’s head then leaves her lips there. Ella buries her face in Erin’s shoulder. “You’ll be alright. I know it’s not easy right now. I’m not going anywhere though. I’ll still be around. It’ll just be a little different now.” Erin reasons. “Let’s get you back into bed.” She suggests.

Ella shakes her head against Erin’s body. “No.” She says. Erin understands that. It’s the first intelligible thing Ella has said in many minutes.

“Yeah, you need some sleep.” Erin insists.

Ella shakes her head again. She doesn’t protest, though, as Erin shuffles them over to the bed. Erin gently peels Ella away from her body and sits her down on the edge of the bed. Ella immediately rubs the heels of her hands against her eyes.

“You get some sleep. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Erin says. She bends at the waist and kisses Ella on the top of the head once more.

Ella takes the opportunity to wrap her arms around Erin again. “Stay with me?” Ella asks desperately.

“I can’t.” Erin sighs.

“I make up the rules in this room, remember.” Ella says. She won’t let go of Erin. She can’t.

Caught in a difficult position, Erin gives in. “I’ll stay for a little bit.” She twists to sit on the bed next to Ella and Ella let’s her. As soon as Erin is sitting Ella curls into Erin’s side. Erin wraps an arm around Ella almost automatically.

“You’ve been through so much.” Ella mumbles into Erin’s neck where her face resides.

“I guess.” Erin nods. She doesn’t want to make a big deal out of her past.

“You have. And you’re braver than I originally thought.” Ella whispers, her tears slowly subsiding.

“I think you’re giving me more credit than I deserve.” Erin chuckles darkly. “I was just doing what I thought was best to survive.” Erin says honestly. “I know I made the right choices though. My sister, she had food and clothes and a place to live.”

Erin rubs Ella’s back to help calm her down. But, Ella clings to Erin. “I’m really sorry that I upset you.” Erin apologizes again. “I didn’t want you to find out this way. I didn’t really want you to find out at all.” Erin confesses. She was afraid Ella would yell and scream about lying to her but she didn’t. She skipped that and went right to being sad.

“So, you’re a girl?” Ella whispers, somewhat innocently.

Erin smiles. There’s no malice behind Ella’s words. “Yeah.”

Ella lifts her head from Erin’s neck to look up at Erin. “So, what’s your name?” Ella asks. Her tears have stopped. She looks to Erin with the most curious expression.

“Erin.” Erin smiles.

Ella furrows her brow. “I thought your boy name was Aaron. How can your girl name be Aaron?” Erin asks, confused.

“They’re spelled different, I guess.” Erin’s not really sure. “Pronounced the same.” Erin tells her.

“Really? That’s cool.” Ella perks up a little.

Erin nods. “My parents gave me a unique name.”

Ella smirks. “How do you spell it?” She asks. “Do you know?” She remembers that Erin can’t read.

“I do. It’s E-R-I-N. Whatever that means. My mom tried to teach me the alphabet but I never paid much attention. I know some letters. I know the letters of my name though. That’s the first thing I learned.” Erin smiles proudly.

Ella nods and thinks for a while. “So wait. If you’re a girl, do you still like me?” Ella asks, her cheeks turning red but holding Erin’s eyes.

“That never changed. Will never change.” Erin tells the princess with a tight-lipped, hopeful smile.

“Oh.” Ella mumbles.

“Do you have more questions or are you ready for bed now?” Erin asks getting the subject off of herself and back to the reason they are sitting on the bed.

Ella thinks, biting her lower lip. “I have more questions but I want to think about them first.” She tells Erin. Erin raises an eyebrow in Ella’s direction. “Can I ask you tomorrow or the next time I see you?” She asks.

“Of course.” Erin nods in confirmation. “You can ask me anything. And I’m sorry to dump this on you on your birthday. I hope I didn’t ruin your day.” Erin says. She’s really didn’t want it to happen like this if it had to happen.

“No.” Ella shakes her head. “Today was nearly perfect. You did scare me though. I thought you were leaving me.” Ella pouts sadly. “You’re not, are you?” She asks to make sure.

Erin shakes her head. “No. Not unless you want me to.” She says, scared of what the answer might be. “What do you want?” She asks, cautiously. It’s a dangerous question.

“I want- I want you to be around. Always. You’re my friend. You’re- I- I’m just really confused right now. You’re real, right?” Ella asks. “I didn’t dream you up or something.”

Erin laughs. “Yes. I’m real. A real female human being.” Ella smiles at Erin. “I’m the same person I was before. I’ve always just been myself with you.” Erin boops Ella on the nose. “That’s not changed.”

Ella nods, then smirks and leans closer to Erin. She presses a kiss to Erin’s cheek. “I did think it was weird that your cheeks weren’t all scratchy like my dad’s.” Ella smiles.

Erin laughs. “Makes sense now, huh?” She asks. Ella nods simply. “You should get some sleep.”

“Will you tuck me in?” Ella asks timidly.

“Sure.” Erin grins. Anything for the princess.

They both stand and Ella gets into the bed, under the blankets, and Erin tucks them around Ella, pulling the blanket up to her chin. “Goodnight, Ella.” Erin kisses Ella’s forehead.

Ella smiles up at Erin as she retreats. “Goodnight, Erin.”

Erin quietly leaves. She sneaks down the hallway and down the stairs, back to the kitchen, and then the servant’s quarters. The dance has long since ended. All the servants are in bed, asleep.

Erin doesn’t know where she and the princess stand, but feels good about it. Somehow, the princess has a way of making things seem like they are okay, even if they’re not. Ella seemed okay with Erin’s big secret after they talked about it for a while. At least, that’s what Erin hopes. She goes to sleep feeling a little lighter now that the princess knows. That burden that she has been carrying with her has been lifted off her shoulders.


	11. Chapter 11

“So?” Carm asks as she sits down with her breakfast.

“So, what?” Erin asks back.

“How was your evening last night?” Carm smirks at her friend.

Erin smiles. “It was good. We had our dance. It was good.” Erin doesn’t want to reveal any more than that. The beginning part of the evening with the dancing was good but then it took a turn and Erin isn’t going to bring that up. As far as she’s concerned she hopes to never bring it up to anyone other than the princess.

“That’s all I get.” Carm whines.

“Yes. You’re lucky you got that much so be thankful.” Erin scowls at Carm.

“Okay. Fine.” Carm gives up. Erin gets up to leave for work. “Have a good day.” Carm tells her.

* * *

 

After lunch Erin is in the garden. Ben had to attend to some personal business so Erin is by herself for clean-up duty. She doesn’t mind. In fact, Erin likes working alone sometimes. She can think and get lost in her own world and her work. With someone working with her she has to always be present in the moment. For Erin, working alone is peaceful.

Erin sees the princess coming as she sweeps the cobblestone path. “Good afternoon, Princess.” Erin greets her as she enters the garden.

“Good afternoon.” The princess replies with the smile that is reserved solely for Erin now. Her Erin smile.

“How was your birthday?” Erin asks politely.

“Can you two cut the crap. There’s no one around.” Carm groans. She knows Erin knows how the princess birthday was.

Ella giggles.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Carm. I’m just asking the princess how her birthday was.” Erin grins devilishly.

Carm rolls her eyes and walks away, out of the garden.

Erin smiles fondly in the princess’s direction and Ella returns it with a similar smile. “I’ll be finished shortly.” Erin informs her.

“Okay. Take your time. I’ll just be sitting over here.” Ella points to the bench on the opposite end of the garden. Erin nods and goes about her work.

The silence between them only last a few seconds. “I thought about my questions.” Ella speaks up.

Erin isn’t surprised but she is surprised that Ella is bringing this up here and now. “And?” She asks.

“And, I’d like to talk with you about them tonight.” Ella informs.

“Okay. I’ll bring your tea. Tell Carm.” Erin goes along with Ella’s plan. She finishes her work in the garden and approaches the princess on the bench. “I’m finished here but I have more work to do. Ben is absent this afternoon.” Erin explains. “Have a good rest of your day, Princess.” Erin winks. “I’ll see you this evening.” She whispers the last part.

“Can’t wait.” Ella whispers back.

* * *

 

It’s evening and Erin is bringing the princess her tea. She got the tea from the kitchen and saw Thomas. He doesn’t say anything of it anymore. It’s become as normal for Erin to bring the tea as it is for Carm to bring the tea. Thomas doesn’t think anything of it. He doesn’t question it, either.

Erin walks up the giant staircase and starts down the hall that the princess’s bedroom is on. She looks down the hall ahead of herself and sees someone standing there. A woman. Standing outside the door to the princess’s room. As Erin gets closer the woman turns out to be the Queen. Erin slows her pace and as soon as she does the Queen begins to approach. They met a few steps from Ella’s door. She knows she shouldn’t be afraid of the queen but fear is the only thing Erin feels.

“Hello, Aaron.” The Queen says. Erin nods, unable to say anything. “Bringing the princess her evening tea?” The Queen asks.

Erin swallows thickly. “Yes, Your Majesty.”

“That’s very kind of you but isn’t that Carm’s job?” The Queen puts Erin on the spot.

“It is.” Erin looks down at her feet, feeling caught.

“And where is Carm?” The Queen asks.

Erin looks back up at the Queen remembering that she’s supposed to face the Queen and King when speaking with them. “In with the princess, I believe.” Erin nods her head towards the door subtly.

The Queen nods and hums. “Okay. Thank you for bringing the tea.” She smirks evilly. “I’ll take that.” The Queen holds out her hands and Erin hands the tray to her. “Knock on the door for me, son.” The Queen requests.

Erin does as she’s told. She leans in, knocks on the door, and steps back. Carm opens the door. Her eyes widen when she sees the Queen standing there and Erin standing at her side. Carm knows this can’t mean anything good.

“Are you going to let me in?” The Queen smiles, almost teasing.

“Yes, sorry.” Carm takes a step to the side to let the Queen through the door and the Queen disappears into the room.

Carm looks to Erin and gives her an apologetic smile and a shrug to say ‘sorry there’s nothing I can do’. Erin nods with a sad smile of her own. Carm shuts the door on Erin when the princess calls her name.

Erin huffs out a breath and turns around to go back downstairs to her cot. The night is not going to go how she had thought it would. In all her times bringing tea to the princess she only saw the Queen in the hall once. And that was after she had been in the princess room and delivered the tea. Maybe she had gotten to at ease with bringing the tea with such frequency that she let her guard down and didn’t look out for the Queen or anyone else that shouldn’t see her in the princess hall. Maybe it’s her own fault.

Erin’s laying on the cot when Carm comes down from the princess’s room and over to her cot. “Are you still awake?” She whispers to Erin.

“Yeah.” Erin mumbles and rolls over to face Carm.

Carm kneels next to the cot. “What happened?” She asks, eager for an answer.

Erin thinks it’s pretty self-explanatory. “The Queen spotted me coming down the hall when I was on my way to the princess’s room and took the tea from me.” Erin says sadly. She feels like she failed. “I don’t think she likes me. This is the second time she’s caught me there.” Erin mumbles.

“Maybe.” Carm says. “And maybe she just doesn’t like the thought of a male servant alone with her daughter.” Carm theories. “Keep your head up, buddy. Don’t let the Queen get you down.” Carm punches Erin in the arm.

Erin rubs at the spot, idly. “I didn’t get to see the princess.” She pouts.

Carm laughs. “I know but there’s always tomorrow.”

Erin sighs. “Yeah.”

“Okay, I’ll let you sleep now.” Carm stands. “Night, buddy.” She says and makes her way over to her own cot.

Erin thinks about her missed opportunity with the princess tonight. There’s nothing she can do about it but she still feels like crap about it.

* * *

 

A few days pass and Erin can’t get time with the princess. She didn’t want to bring the princess evening tea the day after her run in with the Queen on the chance that she might run into the Queen again. Which ended up being the right decision because Carm came back from the princess’s room that night and told Erin that the Queen was in Ella’s room again. The Queen had claimed that she just wanted to check on the princess before bed. Neither Carm or Ella believed it at the time and when Carm told Erin, she didn’t believe it either.

Erin’s next opportunity comes on her next day off. Erin meets Carm and the princess in the garden after lunch with a bouquet of flowers that she gathered together herself. “For the princess.” Erin smiles and holds them out for Ella to take.

“Thank you.” Ella takes them and smells them right away. “They’re lovely.” She comments.

“I’ll just be leaving now.” Carm interjects.

“No.” Erin stops her. “We’re leaving.” She says.

Ella raises her eyebrows at Erin. “We are? Where are we going?” She asks curiously.

“I thought-“ Erin pauses self-consciously. “-I thought we could go for a walk. Just aroid the back edge of the property.” She explains. “That is. If you would like to?” She asks the princess.

“I would like that very much.” Ella grins ear to ear making Erin smile just as big.

“Wonderful.” Erin holds out her elbow and the princess takes it. “Enjoy the garden, Carm.” Erin says over her shoulder as they walk arm in arm out of the garden.

When they get far enough away from Carm or any other possible prying ears, Erin starts. “I’m sorry I couldn’t bring you your tea.”

Ella shakes her head. “We’ll blame my mother for that one. You tried.” Ella eyes Erin from the side but Erin doesn’t catch it.

“Did you want to discuss- uh- discuss- now or not? Or some other time?” Erin asks nervously. She wants to know where she and Ella stand. She’s been waiting numerous days and it’s starting to eat away at her sanity.

“Now. Maybe.” Ella shrugs. She stops and Erin stops with her and turns towards Ella. Ella takes both of Erin’s hands in her own, rubbing her thumbs over the backs of them. Erin swings their connected hands back and forth gentle between them.

“Where do you want to start?” Erin asks, knowing this isn’t easy for either of them. But it’s something that has to be discussed.

“Well-“ Ella looks up at the sky, thinking. “I know who you are now.” Ella looks back to Erin. “No more surprises, right?”

Erin shakes her head. “Nope. I’m all out of secrets.” Erin smiles, relieved.

“You have the best smile.” Ella compliments. Erin ducks her head, blushing. “Hey.” Ella gets her to look up again. “I’m serious.” Ella smiles. “I love your smile.” She looks around before leaning up on her toes and pressing her lips to Erin’s cheek. “I’ve done a lot of thinking the past few days and even though you lied to me I understand why you did. It was life and death for you. It’s a matter of survival. I’m still not sure where all this leaves us though. But I know one thing for sure.” Ella squeezes Erin’s hands. “I know that- that- I can’t deny what I feel. I’ve never felt this way before for another person. I can’t deny what I feel in here.” Ella release Erin’s hand and puts her hand over the left side of her chest.

Erin watches Ella’s movements and licks her lips. “My biggest question might be ‘what does it all mean?’ but maybe I don’t need an answer to that just yet. I know it means something special. My feelings for you are special, Erin.” Ella smiles timidly. She’s not good with being open about her feelings.

“Okay. Say something. I feel like I’m doing all the talking.” Ella babbles nervously.

“Same.” Erin says vaguely.

Ella laughs. “I’m gonna need more than that.” She tells Erin.

“So, it doesn’t bother you that I’m a girl?” Erin asks. Ella never said anything about it and she needs to be sure.

Ella shakes her head. “I’m getting familiar with the idea, but no, it doesn’t bother me.”

Erin nods. “Or that I’m a servant?” She asks.

Ella sighs. “I thought we were past that. I don’t care that you’re a servant. I don’t see status when I look at you. I just see Erin.” Ella tells her gently.

“Okay.” Erin nods again. “So you know I like you, right?” She asks, her cheeks heating with the admission. Ella simply nods. “Okay.” Erin’s nervous. Why? She doesn’t know.

“Is that it?” Ella asks.

“Well-“ Erin stutters. “-I- really- like you and like you said I can’t deny those feelings either. You are so beautiful, inside and out. You’re honest and open and accepting. You’re so special. You’re different than I thought you would be. You’re kind, caring, generous… You’re perfect.” Erin rambles awkwardly.

Ella chuckles lightly. “There’s no such thing as perfect.”

“Well, you come close.” Erin says with a shrug.

“You’re so sweet.” Ella tells her. Erin shrugs.

Ella tugs on Erin’s hand and they start walking again. She wonders about them. “Where does this leave us?” She asks aloud.

Erin shrugs again for lack of something better. “Wherever you want. It’s totally up to you. I would like to keep spending time with you, if I can.” Erin admits.

“If my mother stops interrupting.” Ella scoffs. She can’t believe the crap that her mother has pulled in the last couple of days. She’s always hovering.

“What’s up with that, anyway?” Erin asks.

“I’m not entirely sure. I think she suspects something but I’m not sure that she knows anything.” Ella voices the only thing has been about to conclude about her mother’s strange activity.

“Does that mean I can’t bring you your evening tea anymore?” Erin asks, disappointed.

Ella looks to Erin. “For now.” She says with a tight-lipped smile. “Maybe after a few days she’ll stop being so nosy. I’ll try my best to throw her off the trail faster.” Ella wiggles her eyebrows. Erin bits her lip and nods. “But, anyway, I want to continue seeing you. I’m still a little confused but like I said, I can’t deny what I feel.” Ella smiles. “I want to- I just want- I want to laugh with you. I want to have conversations with you. I want to have tea with you sitting next to me. I want to tell you about my days- however boring they might be. I just want you around. I know that.” Ella concludes.

“Okay.” Erin nods. “We’ll figure something out. Even if it means sneaking into your room through the window or something.” Erin jokes.

Ella smacks Erin on the arm. “You won’t be doing such a thing. It’s too dangerous. I just got you back all healthy again. You can’t go doing something stupid and getting injured.” Ella says sounding slightly upset at the idea of Erin being hurt again.

“Okay. I won’t.” Erin tries to backtrack. “I promise. I won’t.” She gives the princess the cheesiest of smiles. Ella rolls her eyes and walks on.

They arrive back at the garden to find Carm asleep. Snoring under the big maple tree. “Carm.” Erin yells.

The curly-haired woman jumps awake. She stands in a frantic confusion and looks around. “What’s happening?” She asks.

Both Erin and Ella laugh. “You were sleeping.” Erin supplies.

Carm runs her hands over the skirt, dusting off her uniform, and holds her head high. “I don’t know what you are talking about.” Carm brushes past them.

Erin and Ella laugh some more both knowing it’s time for them to part. “I’ll see you-“ Erin says.

“Yeah.” Ella mumbles. They both smile fondly at each other before Ella follows Carm. They don’t know when they might see each other again other than in just passing. The next time they get some alone time is an unknown.

* * *

 

“Was the Queen there tonight?” Erin asks Carm as she returns to the servant’s quarters.

“Yep.” Carm nods. “She seems to be hovering.” She adds. “It’s driving me nuts.” She huffs, agitated.

“You? How do you think I feel?” Erin asks.

“Yeah, yeah. Poor you.” Carm rolls her eyes. “I do have good news for you, though. The princess and I are devising a plan. Don’t you worry.” Carm mumbles vaguely. “It’s under control.” A smile comes to Erin’s face. “We’ll get you back up there in no time.” Carm nods. “I got this.” She says confidently and walks away with her head held high.

* * *

 

Erin cuts the front lawn of the castle in the morning. It’s become one of her favorite tasks. In the afternoon she and Ben clean the garden. The princess doesn’t show up by the time they are finished. Erin is disappointed that she doesn’t get to see the princess. She’s completely unsure of the next time she might get to see the princess and it gets her down but she re-focuses on her work. Erin cuts the lawn on the left side of the castle in the afternoon.

She’s nearly finished with her dinner when Carm comes in and sits down next to her. “We’ve got it figured out.” Carm shovels soup into her mouth.

“What?” Erin doesn’t know what she is referring to.

“Every day after I eat I go get the princess from the study and she has dinner with the King and Queen.” Carm says as if that makes sense to Erin, it doesn’t.

“Okay, but-“ Erin starts.

“That’s when you’ll make your move. While they are eating dinner. You will go up to the princess’s room and wait for us to show up. It’s the perfect plan. I wish I could take credit for it but it was the princess who thought of it.” Carm whispers conspiratorially. “Just don’t mess this up.” She threatens Erin with her spoon. She’s getting too invested in this. “And when the Queen comes by, if she comes by, you will hide in the closet.” Carm adds.

“Really?” Erin asks with a raises eyebrow. It seems kind of childish to her to be hiding from the Queen.

“Do you want this to happen or not?” Carm points the spoon in Erin’s face.

“Yes. Okay, fine.” Erin raises her hands in defense. She’s not sure if Carm would hit her with the spoon or not but she doesn’t want to find out.

“When I leave here. Wait a few minutes. Just to be safe. To make sure they’re all in the dining room. Then make your way upstairs. And make sure no one sees you.” Carm tells her.

“Okay, I got it.” Erin confirms. Erin finishes her dinner and waits. She’s very excited to see the princess again privately.

Carm scoops up every last drop with her spoon. She rises from her seat. “It’s go time.” She whispers in Erin’s ear devilishly.

Erin wants to laugh at Carm but knows not to from the serious look on Carm’s face. Carm’s way too wrapped up in this somewhat simple plan. Carm leaves, Erin waits, then leaves.

Her heart beat races as she makes her way through the castle. She doesn’t know why. She’s allowed to walk around the castle so that’s not the reason. It’s the final destination that she’s not allowed. There’s a thrill that she gets from it. Doing something that’s against the rules. It’s daring and thrilling and her pulse races. She has her head on a swivel making sure no one sees her enter the princess’s room.

Erin takes deep breath when she shuts the door behind herself. The room is empty. As expected. Erin goes over to the bed and sits on the edge to wait for the princess. It takes a while. The princess has to ear her entire dinner before she shows up in her room. But, eventually, the door swings open.

Ella enters first, followed by Carm with the tea tray. Ella hurries over to Erin. Erin stands up and embraces the princess. “I missed you.” Ella whispers into Erin’s ear.

Erin nods. “Me too.”

Ella takes a step back and eyes Erin up and down. Her eyes finally settling on Erin’s. They smile at each other.

“I can just leave this here and-“ Carm says seeing the exchange. She puts the tea down on the bedside table. “We have to change you into your nightgown.” Carm goes to the closet and gets out a nightgown.

“Okay.” Ella leaves Erin and goes over to where Carm is standing. “You have to turn around.” She says to Erin. Erin nods and turns around. Even though Ella knows Erin’s not a guy. Carm doesn’t know and they have to keep up appearances. Plus, Ella doesn’t want Erin seeing her undressed. Not yet, at least.

Erin listens as Carm helps Ella into her nightgown and ties her up. Erin jumps, though, when there’s a hand on her hip. “Sorry.” Ella whispers. Erin spins around to see Ella in her nightgown. She thinks the princess is beautiful, even in her nightgown. She’d voice that if Carm weren’t in the room. She wishes Carm weren’t in the room but then remembers the plan.

Carm pours the tea and Ella hops into bed, pulling Erin behind her by the hand. Before they can get settled there’s a knock on the door. Everyone’s eyes go wide. “Just a minute.” Ella yells and nods towards the closet. Erin scurries off the bed and over to the closet as quickly and quietly as possible. Closing the big wooden door and hiding amongst the clothes.

“Come in.” Ella calls.

Erin hears the door open and the queen enter the room. “I thought I’d just check on you before I went to bed for the night.” The Queen speaks.

“I’m good. Same as every night.” Ella tells her mother. She’s not fond of this new tradition that the Queen has started in recent days to just pop into her room every night after dinner. “Carm’s just getting my tea.”

Carm holds the tea pot out for the Queen to see and shakes it back and forth. She doesn’t like the queen being around either. She’s disrupting the natural flow of things.

The Queen looks around the room suspiciously. Almost as if she’s looking for something in particular. She searches the area with her eyes not finding anything out of the ordinary. “Alright. If you need anything you know what to do.” The Queens says and makes her exit.

The room is quiet for several moments after the Queen closes the door. Ella looks over to Carm who is looking back at her. The princess waits to make sure the Queen is actually gone. When she thinks it’s okay she calls. “Erin.” It’s not a loud call, it’s said in more of a calm inside voice.

The closet door pops open and Erin emerges. “That was crazy.” Her heart is pounding again. “And I don’t know if I can do that again.” Erin crosses the room and gets on the bed and sits down next to Ella. “That was intense. My heart is racing.” Erin puts her hand to her chest.

Ella smiles gently. She has her tea cup in one hand with the other she takes Erin’s hand, squeezing it. “You did good.” Ella praises.

“Thanks.” Erin ducks her head at the compliment.

“You kids are cute. Too cute. So I’m leaving.” Carm departs in a matter of seconds.

“I thought she’d never leave.” Ella says and puts her tea on the tray on the bedside table.

“She was hardly even here.” Erin disagrees.

“I just want you all to myself for a while.” Ella shifts so she’s facing Erin.

“Oh.” Erin mumbles.

“You are the bravest person in the entire world.” Ella tells her. Erin scrunches up her face, clearly disagreeing with Ella’s statement. “I’m serious. What you did to survive. To get here. To the castle. To dress as a man. What you did to get to my room tonight. You are the bravest person I’ve ever met.” Ella leans forward and kisses Erin. Hard. When she pulls back she licks her lips. “You are my prince.” Ella whispers and leans in for another kiss.

“But- I-“ Erin tries to argue.

“Shhh.” Ella puts her finger to Erin’s lips. “You are my prince.” Ella repeats.

A hint of a smile starts on Erin’s lips. Ella sees it and smiles herself. She removes her finger from Erin’s lips and rests her palm on Erin’s cheek. Her thumb stroking over the soft skin. It’s a big moment for both of them. They just sit there looking into each other’s eyes soaking in the moment, smiling affectionately at one another.

“Will you be my prince?” Ella asks more formally.

Erin nods. “Absolutely.” Erin makes it official. Their lips crash together for a passionate kiss. Erin leads the kiss, swiping her tongue out against Ella’s lips producing a small moan from the princess. Erin smirks into the kiss.

After several minutes of kissing they both come away breathless. Ella sinks into the bed next to Erin, getting comfortable, and laying her head on Erin’s chest. Erin wraps her arms around Ella and snuggles in as well. She kisses Ella on the top of the head. Erin is more than willing to be Ella’s prince. She’ll do anything in her power to protect the princess, keep her safe, make sure she has everything that she needs, keep her happy, smiling, and make sure that she is loved.  Erin loves the girl in her arms more than anything. She doesn’t know why or how it happened. It just did. It just is. She’s grateful. She’s not going to question it further. Being in love feels amazing.

After a few minutes the princess falls asleep. Erin lays with her for a little while before slipping out of bed, tucking the princess in, and kissing her forehead. She checks for anyone in the hall before exiting the room. It’s all clear and Erin makes her way downstairs, tea tray in hand.

* * *

 

The same thing happens every night for the next handful of days. While the princess is eating dinner with her parents; Erin goes up to her room to wait for her arrival. The queen comes in every evening to ‘check on the princess’ and Erin hides in the closet. She gets that same terrified thrill every time. Carm is as dutiful as always. She helps the princess change, pours the tea, and leaves them alone once she’s finished. Erin and Ella spend the evenings in bed talking and cuddling. It’s great until the fifth day.

“I have something I need to tell you. I want you to hear it from me before word gets out.” Ella grimaces and looks down at the lap. She doesn’t want to tell Erin but knows she has to.

“What is it?” Erin asks nervously. She knows it’s probably not going to be good if it’s upsetting the princess.

Ella looks up with tears in her eyes. “I have another visitor coming in two days.” She reveals the awful truth. Her tears starting to fall as she does so.

“Hey, don’t cry.” Erin automatically wipes the tears away. “Thank you for telling me first.” She whispers. “Please don’t cry, my princess.” Erin uses the words as more of a term of endearment than as a polite title. Ella perks up a little at it. “That’s part of this.” Erin motions between the two of them. “I know that. But, it doesn’t change this, right?” Erin asks. Ella nods. “Good. Then bring him on.” Erin holds her head high and puffs out her chest.

Her antics make Ella laugh. “I love you.” She says.

It’s so casual that Erin almost misses it. But she could never miss that. Those three words the first time the princess said them to her, she couldn’t miss, no matter what. Erin smiles her biggest, brightest, happiest smile.

Ella finally catches what she said. “Oh.” She whispers. Her eyes widen. She was so caught up she didn’t realize she’s said it. Her smile falls from her face and she tucks her chin to her chest. “I didn’t- I mean- I do- but that’s not how I wanted to say it.” Ella mumbles awkwardly.

Erin just smiles at her. “You’re cute.” Ella looks up when Erin speaks, locking their eyes again. “I think it was perfect. You just felt it and said it in a totally natural, unplanned, un-thought through way.” Erin tells her and leans in for a kiss. She kisses Ella on the lips, then on the cheek, then whispers in her ear. “I love you too, Ella.” Erin leans back with a happy smile. “No matter what happens, just know that.” She tells the princess.

Ella nearly jumps into Erin’s lap. She wraps her arms around Erin in a tight hug. Erin holds Ella just as tight. The princess buries her face in the crook of Erin’s neck feeling safer than ever in her arms. She’s always felt safe with Erin since their first embrace, but now more so than ever. “I don’t want to meet him.” Ella mumbles into Erin’s skin.

Erin rubs the princess’s back soothingly. “I know.” She says.

Ella rests her head against Erin’s shoulder putting a little space between her face and Erin’s neck. “I don’t want to meet any more suitors. There’s no point. It’s all dumb anyway. Why can’t I just rule this kingdom by myself or something. Be a badass Queen when the time comes. I don’t need someone else for that.” Ella voices.

“You’d make an awesome Queen.” Erin says sadly. She knows that if Ella is Queen she’ll most likely have a King. A King that isn’t her. “You’d be fair and honest. Not that your parents aren’t. But it’d be a new era. A new generation. You could change the rules if you were Queen.” Erin says somewhat vaguely. She just throwing stuff out there.

That sparks something within Ella. She pulls away from Erin with a determined look on her face. “What?” Erin asks, confused as to what’s happening.

“That’s what I’m gonna do.” Ella says.

“What?” Erin asks curiously.

“Everything you just said. I’m gonna do it. That’ll be it. That’s it. Consider it done. Things are gonna change and one day you’ll be sitting beside me on the throne.” Ella says, empowered. “Thank you.” Ella leans in for a kiss. “You are a genius.”

“I don’t- what just happened?” Erin mumbles, stunned. She was mostly just saying random stuff and Ella thought she was serious.

“You and me are gonna make history. That’s what. Will you be my King?” Ella asks. Her arms wrapping around Erin’s neck securely.

Erin thinks this is a lot and it’s all so sudden too. “But- I’m a girl.” Erin protests. It’s the first thing she thought of.

“So. Nobody has to know. You keep dressing as a man and nobody knows the difference. Well, me, of course. I could make you my King.” Ella says with a smirk. “I’m gonna change this kingdom- make it a better place.” Ella says with finality.

Erin is a little skeptically about everything Ella is saying. She doesn’t know if it can really happen but as long as Ella believes it can she will be behind her one hundred percent.

Ella starts talking about all the changes she would make and Erin listens closely. Eventually, Ella tires herself out and Erin leaves a nearly asleep Ella and returns to her cot for the night.


	12. Chapter 12

The princess’s guest arrives two days later. He’s very handsome. He’s from some far away land. Further than any of the other suitors to this point. And he somehow thinks that makes him better than all the others before him. He’s not. He’s an arrogant asshole who thinks he’s entitled to the princess. Like she’s already his.

Erin first sees them after lunch. She and Ben are cleaning the back garden. “Here comes the princess and her latest man.” Ben says as the two approach the garden. Erin doesn’t like Ben’s words. He makes it sound like Ella is running through all of these ‘men’ using them for her benefit and then throwing them away like garbage. What is opposite from the truth.

“Good afternoon.” Erin greets the pair politely. She tries to not let her eye linger on the princess for too long.

“Let’s sit down.” The man scoffs at Erin.

Erin watches as he practically drags Ella over to the bench.

“We’ll be done here momentarily.” Ben tells them.

“Whatever. I couldn’t care less about you peasants. I’m here solely for the princess.” The man grumbles in Ben’s direction.

Erin doesn’t like this guy and not only because he has his nasty hands on the princess. He sounds and acts like a jerk.

“Be nice, Richard.” Ella scolds him. “They’re just doing their jobs. The garden looks lovely because of Ben and Erin’s hard work.” Ella informs him while throwing a compliment for the groundskeepers.

Erin smiles because Ella standing up for the groundskeepers. She minds her own business and continues sweeping over the cobblestone with her broom.

“I don’t care. I don’t like flowers. Actually, why are we in the garden?” Richard questions and stands from the bench. “Let’s go.” He turns to the princess and holds out his arm for her to take.

“I don’t want to. I spend this time enjoying the garden and nature.” Ella says, folding her arms over her chest.

“I said, let’s go.” Richard yells.

“No.” Ella says stubbornly and looks away from Richard, ignoring him.

“Yes.” Richard reaches out and grabs Ella’s arm and starts to pull.

“Hey.” Erin interjects when she sees Richard grab roughly at the princess. “She said she didn’t want to go.” She reminds Richard.

“And who the fuck do you think you are?” Richard asks, raising an eyebrow at Erin.

They only stand a few feet from each other. Erin stands tall, confident, standing her ground. “My name’s Erin. And I’m a groundskeeper but that’s unimportant. The princess said she didn’t want to go with you so I suggest you listen to her.” Erin tells Richard.

Richard narrows his eyes at Erin.

“Aaron.” Ben says from behind her in an attempt to get her to leave before this escalates further.

“You’re just a servant. A piece of trash, as far as I’m concerned.” Richard lets go of Ella’s arm and Erin is thankful for that. But, he turns fully towards Erin, stepping directly in front of her. “You can’t tell me what to do. No one can. Not you. Not that old man.” Richard points to Ben. “And not the princess.” Richard thumbs over his shoulder in the princess’s direction.

Erin stands her ground. “You should have more respect for the princess.” She tells him.

Richard’s eyes squint at her, his nostrils flare. In a flash he pulls his fist back before bringing it forward and connecting with Erin’s jaw. The punch knocks her off her feet.

“Erin.” Ella screams, jumping up from the bench.

All Erin hears is the ringing in her ears. Her eyesight is all blurry. Ben is down on the ground next to her right away.

“Let’s go princess.” Richard grabs a hold of Ella’s arm and tugs her with him out of the garden.

“No. Richard.” Ella tries to protest but Richard pulls her with him. He’s too strong to get away from. The princess knows that. She gives up the fight. She watches Erin over her shoulder as Richard pulls her further and further away from the garden.

Ben inspects Erin’s face. She just tries to get her bearings about herself to be able to see straight.

“That was one hell of a punch. You took it like a champ.” Ben says poking at her jaw and cheek. “It doesn’t seem broken.” He says.

“I’ll be fine.” Erin mumbles and pushes herself off the ground. She’s a little dizzy but it passes after a few seconds. Her jaw hurts but she’ll be fine, like she said.

“Why’d you do that?” Ben asks, getting to a standing position as well.

Erin gives him a pointed look. “Because he was disrespectful to the princess.” Erin tells him. There’s so much more to it than that but she won’t tell him that.

“You shouldn’t have done that. What if he tells the King or Queen? You could be punished. Banished from the castle.” Ben adds.

Erin shrugs. “So be it.” It was worth it in her mind. And she knows that Ella wouldn’t allow her to be banished. “Let’s get back to work.” Erin says to him. She doesn’t want to discuss it anymore.

She throws everything she has into her work in that afternoon. She’s mad and working helps let out her frustrations. Erin’s so focused she doesn’t hear Ben calling her name. He walks up to her and taps her on the shoulder.

Erin jumps, scared. “Shit.” She breathes out.

“That’s enough for today.” Ben says. “Let’s have dinner, son.” He says softly, kindly.

“Okay.” Erin sighs, realizing how hard she’s been working all day. Ben and Erin walk to the castle together, get their soup together, and eating together. “Have a good evening, Ben.” Erin says when she’s done eating.

“Where is it that you run away to nearly every evening?” Ben asks quickly before Erin can run off.

She feels caught and freezers in her spot. “I- I just usually spend some time alone. Away from any people. I just need that time.” Erin lies to him.

“Ah, okay. Have a good evening, yourself.” He says genuinely.

“Thank you. I will.” Erin smiles and takes her bowl to the sink before going up to the princess’s room. She knocks on the door, even though no one is in the room, before entering. Erin sits on the bed and plays nervously with her hands. Ella’s probably going to scold her for what she did in the garden this afternoon. She’s not looking to forward to that but she can’t wait to see the princess. Especially after today. She needs to see her. To make sure she’s okay and to make sure she’s safe. To make sure he didn’t touch her inappropriately or hurt her. She needs to see the princess.

It takes longer than usual but the door swings open. Erin stands as soon as she sees Ella. The princess runs over and jumps into Erin’s arms. Erin catches her and holds her tight. “Erin.” Ella whispers into Erin’s ear.

Carm enters the room and shuts the door. “Really?” Carm laughs and rolls her eyes at them. “It’s like you two haven’t seen each other for weeks.” Carm sets the tray down on the bedside table.

“It was a bad day, Carm.” Ella informs her.

Erin nods in agreement before setting Ella down so her feet are on the floor again. She kisses the princess on the forehead. Erin doesn’t care that Carm is there to witness it. “Are you okay?” She asks, looking over princess for any signs that she’s not.

“I’m okay. Are you?” Ella asks looking to Erin’s jaw. “Oh, Erin, your face.” Ella reaches out but doesn’t touch.

“It’s just a little swollen. I’ll be fine.” Erin insists.

“What happened to you now?” Carm asks from the closet.

“Richard punched Erin.” Ella supplies.

Carm turns around with a nightgown in hand. Her eyes wide. “Really?” She asks. Both Erin and Ella nod their heads. “Buddy.” Carm smirks. “Where was I?” Carm asks, suddenly realizing that she missed this event.

“Cleaning up from lunch. Richard and I went out to the garden.” Ella fills in. That’s all Carm needs to put the rest together.

“Damn son, you got balls.” Carm comments. Erin ducks her head. Carm couldn’t be more inaccurate with that statement. “Let’s get this nightgown on you.” Carm addresses the princess. Ella nods and steps away from Erin. Erin knows the drill. She turns her back to Ella as she changes. She’s starting to think it’s a little silly though.

Ella wraps her arms around Erin midsection from behind and nuzzles her face into her shoulder. “I’m glad today is over.” She mumbles.

“It’s not over yet.” Erin says taking Ella’s arm and tugging her around to the front and kissing her soundly.

“I’m still here.” Carm reminds them.

Ella laughs, breaking the kiss. “Sorry, Carm.” She apologizes.

“No you’re not.” Carm laughs.

“You’re right.”

They all laugh. Carm pours the tea and Ella gets into bed, under the blankets. Erin sits on the edge of the bed waiting for the Queen to come knocking. She waits and waits. So does Carm. Carm sits at the foot of the bed, her hands folded in her lap. The three fall into easy conversation.

A long time passes as they wait. Long enough for Ella to finish her tea. “Maybe she’s not coming.” Ella shrugs and hands her empty tea cup to Carm.

Carm gathers up the tea tray and prepares to leave. “Guess not.” She says in response. “You two behave yourselves. Have a good night.” She says as she exits.

Erin climbs into bed as soon as Carm closes the door. Ella holds her arm open and Erin cuddles into Ella’s side. She rests her head on Ella’s shoulder, wrapping an arm around Ella’s middle. Ella holds Erin tight to her body. “Thank you.” Ella kisses the top of Erin’s head.

“For what?” Erin yawns.

“For standing up for me.” Ella tells her.

“Always.” Erin tilts her head back and looks up at Ella with a smile.

Ella leans down and presses their lips together. “My prince.” She whispers.

Erin cuddles back into Ella’s chest. It’s warm and comfortable and her favorite place. And she starts to fall asleep. Ella takes Erin’s cap off and runs her fingers through her hair, speeding up the sleep process.

* * *

 

Erin wakes up sometime later and looks around trying to get her bearings about her. “It’s okay.” Ella whispers from her side. Erin looks up. “You feel asleep.” Ella supplies though Erin had figured as much by now.

“You-“ Erin says in a raspy, sleepy voice. “-you didn’t?”

“Nope.” Ella smiles. “You’re cute when you sleep.” Ella says brushing some hair back behind Erin’s ear. Erin has to look away from Ella. “The best way to end my day.” She kisses Erin’s cheek.

“Richard was such an ass.” Ella changes the tune of the conversation. “Not that I want to bring him up but I feel like I need to talk about it. At least to let you know how much I disliked him.” She says reaching down for Erin’s hand.

“I didn’t like him either.” Erin adds, her voice cleared from sleep.

“I know. You took a punch for me.” Ella reminds Erin. Erin half-smirks. “You’re very brave.”

Erin shrugs against Ella. “I was just doing what I thought was right.” Erin says. She made a promise to do whatever she could to protect the princess and standing up to Richard fell into that category. “I didn’t like the way he treated you. It wasn’t right. He disrespected you.” Erin explains her actions.

“Yeah. He had to be the worst one yet. My parents didn’t like him either. I could tell halfway through dinner.” Ella tells her.

“Hmm.” Erin hums.

“I’m thinking of telling my dad not to bring in anymore suitors.” Ella plays with Erin’s finger while they talk.

“Won’t he be mad? Doesn’t he want to find you a man?” Erin asks, wrinkling her brow. She doesn’t like the words that come from her own mouth. They taste sour.

“I don’t think so. I’m daddy’s little girl. He knows it and I know it. If I ask him to stop bringing ‘guests’ in, he’ll listen. At least for a little while. I’ll tell him I need a break after Richard.” She says. “I can pretty much get whatever I want from him.” She grins. “I feel a little bad about it but it’s what I want. I’ll make that clear to him.”

“Okay.” Erin says simply.

“Okay? That’s it. That’s all you’re gonna give me?” Ella says. She thought Erin would have more to say on the subject than that.

“Yeah. I’m fine with it. I don’t have much say in any of this.” Erin tells her. It’s true. Erin can’t say or do anything about anything that happens with the princess.

“What?” Ella squawks. “Yeah, you do. With me you always do. Don’t think you don’t have an opinion or that it doesn’t matter. Because it does. It matters to me.” Ella scolds Erin for thinking the way she is.

“Okay.” Erin says guilty.

“Stop saying okay.” Ella says, getting frustrated.

“Okay.” Erin says.

Ella huffs out a frustrated breath along with Erin’s name.

“What?” Erin looks up at the princess trying to act innocent.

“Stop it.” Ella tells Erin.

“Okay.” Erin grins playfully.

“Stop.” Ella whines and slaps at Erin’s arm.

Erin turns and starts tickling Ella’s sides. The princess laughs and laughs, trying to swat away Erin’s hands but failing. “Erin.” She says through her laughter. “Stop.” Ella begs as Erin keeps tickling. “I can’t breathe.” The princess says but Erin tickles on. “Please?” Ella begs some more.

Erin stills her fingers. “Okay.” She says once more and falls on top of Ella. They are both laughing at the silliness of it all. Ella wraps her arms around Erin again. “I love you.” Ella says freely.

“I love you too, princess.” Erin presses her lips to Ella’s neck. The princess hums at the feeling of Erin’s lips on her sensitive skin. Erin does it again, kissing her pulse point, sucking on the spot briefly, and then licking over the skin. Ella squirms beneath her. A beautiful soft moan coming from the princess.

Erin smirks. She pushes herself up so she can see Ella’s face. Her eyes are closed, her lips parted slightly. Erin thinks Ella has a look of pure bliss about her right now. She leans in and nudges Ella’s nose with her own. “Hey.” She whispers.

“Yeah?” Ella opens her eyes and smiles her Erin smile.

“There’s that smile.” Erin says with a smile of her own.

Ella’s body feels like it’s on fire. Erin makes her feels things she’s never felt before. Ella blushes and swallows thickly. “Can I ask you something?”

“Anything.” Erin says.

“I’ve been thinking about something but I don’t know how it works exactly.” Ella starts.

“That’s not a question.” Erin teases.

Ella rolls her eyes. “I don’t really know how to ask, actually.” She admits turning shy. She’s never discussed what she’s thinking with anyone, ever.

Erin furrows her brow, more serious now that Ella seems worried or nervous or something Erin can’t quite put her finger on. “Well, start with what you do know. What you’re comfortable with.” Erin advises.

“Okay.” Ella thinks for a few moments. She doesn’t know much at all so it’s hard to find a place to start. Erin waits patiently, looking down at the girl beneath her, watching as she thinks. “You know how I was upset after that one suitor was here to visit me?” Ella asks quietly, thinking of a good starting point even though it brings up an unpleasant memory.

“Yeah.” Erin nod, not liking the thoughts that Ella has just stirred up.

“He touched me where I didn’t want him to touch me.” Ella goes on.

Erin doesn’t know if she can listen to this. “Ella, I don’t-“ She cuts herself off, unable to continue.

“I’m sorry for bringing this up. But he didn’t- he didn’t- okay.” Ella tells her. Erin bites her lip but nods. “But, what I’m trying to say is- how- how does that work?” Ella finally asks a question.

Erin thinks she know where this conversation is going. “I- uh-“ She stutters unsure of what to say or do.

“Like with- me and you?” Ella continues her thought.

Erin gives Ella a tight-lipped smile. “Ella, I don’t- are you sure you want to know about this?” Erin asks. She wants to make sure that Ella is certain about this before she explains anything.

Ella nods. “Yeah. I’m sure cuz before when you were kissing my neck-“ Ella trails off, averting her eyes from Erin’s.

Erin’s eyes widen. “Oh.” She whispers. Erin collects herself to discuss this. She clears her throat and Ella looks back to her. “Let me start by saying that I’ve never- so I’m not expert. I don’t have any personal experience.” Erin says and licks her lips.

“Okay. Me neither, obviously. I always thought when I met the man I would marry- on our wedding night.” Ella fumbles around her words nervously.

Erin nods. She gets what the princess is saying. She thinks about it and looks down at their bodies. “Maybe this isn’t the best position to be in while talking about this.” Erin says and starts to move off of on top of the princess.

Ella stops her. Holding Erin in their positions. “No. Don’t. I’m gonna need you close for this or I won’t be about to talk about it.” She explains.

Erin settles against Ella again. Ella keeps her arms wrapped around Erin’s back for reassurance that she won’t go anywhere and for security. “Well-“ Erin says awkwardly. “-I’ve heard things. I’ll start with that. Living as a boy or man you hear things from other men. They like to talk about their relations with women. What they do and what it was like. That kind of stuff. Also, living in the servant’s quarters- things happen sometimes. And I spent some time living with other homeless in a shelter in my village after my parents died. I have a good idea but- I don’t know the specifics.” Erin tells Ella what she knows, what she thinks Ella should hear.

“Oh.” Ella frowns. “So you don’t- we can’t-“ She says disappointed.

Erin grins. She leans in and kisses Ella on the cheek. “Oh, we can. From what I understand it’s just not quite the same.” Erin tells her.

“Oh.” Ella’s cheeks turn pink. “So- so you- know-“ Ella stutters awkward and nervous.

“Hey.” Erin says sweetly. She brushes her thumb over Ella’s pink cheek. “Well, figure it out together.” She tells the princess.

Ella smiles shyly through her blush. “I like the sound of that.” She says.

Erin leans in and kisses Ella’s pink cheeks. “I like you.”

Ella giggles. She sighs as Erin buries her face in her neck again, pressing a few kisses to the skin. Erin settles into the spot content to just lay with the princess for a few minutes before she has to get up. Ella runs her palms up and down Erin’s back. It makes Erin sleepy and she has to get up before she does fall asleep.

“I should go. You need to sleep.” She tells the princess. “I had a nap, you didn’t.” Erin smiles, reminding Ella.

“Yeah. Yeah.” Ella rolls her eyes. “I’ll see you tomorrow after I get rid of Richard.” Ella says.

Erin makes a disgusted face. “Okay.” She says. She doesn’t like that he’s still in the castle somewhere. But she feels good about the fact that she is currently in the princess’s bedroom and he probably doesn’t even know where it is. She’ll take that.

Erin gets up and out of bed. “Good night, princess. Sweet dreams.” Erin kisses Ella’s forehead.

“Good night, my sweet prince.” Ella smiles up at Erin. Erin winks and starts to back away from Ella, the bed. She holds Ella’s eyes the whole time she backs to the door. Until Erin pulls the door open and has to look out to make she no one is in the hallway, they’re eyes stay locked looking lovingly at each other. Erin looks back into the room, smiles once more, and disappears behind the closed door.

* * *

 

Carm meets Erin at the table the next morning. “Morning.” She says to Erin.

“Morning.” Erin yawns.

“Late night?” Carm asks with a smirk.

“Yeah, I-“ Erin thinks better of continuing. Carm is using Erin’s tired state to get info out of her. Erin narrows her eyes at Carm.

Carm smirks. It’s a game. “Go on.” She says.

“I don’t think so.” Erin shakes her head and takes a bite of her breakfast.

“Did the Queen ever show up last night?” Carm whispers.

Erin shakes her head, swallow a mouthful of soup. “No. Maybe she finally gave up.” She says to Carm.

“Or maybe it’s because Richard is here.” Carm gives her thoughts on the matter.

“I hate him.” Erin grumbles.

Carm laughs. “How’s you face today, buddy?” She asks, reminded of the affect that Richard had on Erin the day before.

“Jaw’s sore.” Erin mumbles. She doesn’t want to talk about it.

Carm shakes her head. “And if the princess asks?” Carm raises an eyebrow. She wants to know what to say.

“Don’t tell her. I’m fine.” Erin grumbles some more.

“Someone’s crabby when they’re tired.” Carm teases.

“Shut up.” Erin says flatly. “I just want him to be gone.”

Carm doesn’t say anything more for fear of Erin biting her head off.

Erin moves slowly as she gets up from the bench. She’s definitely tired. She should have gone to bed earlier the night before. She’s gonna blame the princess for this one though. She’s the one that wanted to talk. And then their ‘little’ conversation had Erin thinking when she returned to her cot and she couldn’t get to sleep.

“You look like shit.” Ben says when Erin shows up in the shed.

“Didn’t sleep well last night.” Erin grumbles.

Ben hands Erin a pruning tool. “You’re in luck. It should be a light work day. Prune all the roses back and then all the shrubs at the front of the castle.” Ben instructs.

“Okay.” Erin takes the tool from Ben and goes to work.

* * *

 

Erin is front of the castle, by the main drive, when a carriage pulls up. She’s working near the front doors, next to the main grand staircase. Erin hears muffled yelling from inside the castle. She doesn’t hear the words but they sound angry.

When the doors open Erin looks up out of curiosity. She sees him coming down the marble staircase. His head down. He takes a straight line directly to his carriage, slamming the door shut after he enters, and yelling at the driver to get moving.

“Good riddance.” Erin mumbles under her breath. She breathes a sigh of relief and goes back to her work.

* * *

 

She waits for the princess in her bedroom. Ella and Carm walk in and the princess looks as tired as Erin feels.

“Hey.” Ella says with little enthusiasm.

“Hi.” Erin stands to greet the princess. They embrace in the middle of the room. Carm goes about her business getting the tea and nightgown ready for the princess.

“How was your day?” Erin asks.

“Fine once Richard left.” Ella says honestly. She wasn’t a fan of the guy.

“I saw him leave. He looked pretty mad. What happened?”

Ella shrugs. “I told him he was disgusting and good luck finding someone to marry him cuz it wasn’t gonna be me.” She smirks.

“That wasn’t very nice.” Erin comments.

“Will, I didn’t like him and he hit you so-“ Ella shrugs, explaining vaguely.

“Your gown is ready, Ella.” Carm interrupts them.

“Okay.” Ella spins away from Erin to change into her nightgown. Erin is respectful as ever and turns away while the princess changes. When she’s finished changing Ella goes directly to the bed and climbs under the blankets. Carm hands her the tea. “Erin.” Ella calls. Erin turns around and sees the princess snuggled up in bed. “Get over here.” Ella demands.

“Coming princess.” Erin says and happily makes her way over to the bed. She curls up under the covers with Ella.

“You need anything else, Ella?” Carm asks, already standing at the door.

“No, Carm. Thank you.” Ella smiles

“Have a good night.” Carm bids farewell.

“So comfy.” Erin mumbles cuddling in next to the princess as soon as Carm closes the door. “I wish I could sleep here.” She says wistfully.

“Me too. Me too.” Ella voices.

“I’m so tired. I went to bed last night but I couldn’t sleep. I was thinking about what we talked about.” Erin admits.

“And?” Ella asks, eager to know what Erin was thinking.

“And- I don’t know- I was just thinking about it.” Erin says nonchalantly. There’s more to it than that though. She was thinking about the when’s and the where’s and how’s of it all. The details. “I would like to have that experience with you one day, but only when you- and I- are comfortable with it.” Erin says.

“You’re so good.” Ella kisses Erin soundly. Erin hums into their kiss. “More of a gentleman than any man I’ve ever met.” Ella adds, resting her palm on Erin’s face. “So thoughtful. So respectful.” She mumbles. “I’m so lucky.” She says sincerely.

“I’m the lucky one.” Erin argues. “You are like a dream come true. Sometimes I can’t believe this is real life.” Erin tells the princess. “And it’s easy to be thoughtful and respectful. You deserve it.” Erin whispers.

“I love you, so much.” Ella rubs thumb over Erin’s cheek.

“Love you too.” Erin say back and leans in for a kiss.

“And I can’t wait to experience everything there is to experience with you but just not yet.” Ella adds. She doesn’t think she’s ready for that yet.

Erin nods. “There’s no rush. As long as I get to see you every day there’s no rush. But- you have to promise that one day-“ Erin fades off. She feels overly bold with her request.

“One day. I promise, my prince.” Ella seals it with a sweet kiss. “Soon.” She adds.

Erin smiles, happy. “I want to sleep.” She mumbles. “Are you done with your tea?” She asks.

“Yeah.” Ella hands Erin the tea cup and Erin puts the empty cup back on the tray.

“Roll on your side.” Erin instructs. Ella rolls towards Erin. “No. The other way.” Erin giggles.

“Then I can’t see you.” She pouts.

“Just do it, please.” Erin asks.

“Okay.” Ella frowns. She rolls away from Erin so that her back is to Erin.

Once Ella settles in her position Erin scoots up behind her so that her front is pressed against Ella’s back. Her hips pressing against Ella’s backside. Erin slips a foot between Ella’s ankles. Lastly, she wraps her arm around Ella and finds Ella’s hand with her own, squeezing it. “Naptime.” Erin says sleepily.

“I like this.” Ella comments on their position. A pleased smile on her lips.

“I thought you might.” Erin whispers against the back of Ella’s neck. “Sleep.” She whispers kissing the back of the princess’s head.

“Okay. Night.” Ella whispers back. She likes the feeling on Erin wrapped around her body, matching her position, and holding onto her while they lay in bed.

Erin wakes a few hours later. With a kiss to Ella’s temple, she slips out of bed and out of the room.

* * *

 

“Up and at ‘em.” Ben pats Erin on the back at breakfast. “It’s the harvest.” Ben says.

“What does that mean?” Erin asks. She knows what a harvest is she just doesn’t know what that means for the castle, or the servants, or her.

“It means we work with the field workers for the next number of weeks until all of the crops are off the fields.” Ben informs her.

“Oh.” Erin thinks about it. It doesn’t sound that exciting, but neither did groundskeeping at first and she enjoys that now. It’s something different and Erin thinks that could be good. Broaden her horizons.

Erin follows Ben after breakfast. They walk out to the stables where they get on a flat-bed wagon with some of the field workers. They ride over to a wheat field that is adjacent to the castle. Erin and Ben work with the field workers all day harvesting wheat by hand.

They work all day. They don’t even break for lunch or dinner. Thomas arrives at lunchtime on a horse drawn cart with baskets of sandwiches. The worker’s alternative taking turns to eat a sandwich before getting back to work. The same thing happens at dinnertime. The group works until it’s dark before they quit for the day and ride back to the castle.

Erin is exhausted. She eats and goes right to bed as soon as they get back.

* * *

 

Carm finds Erin the next morning at breakfast. “Where were you last night?”

Erin sighs. She wishes she could have made it to see the princess the night before but she was too exhausted. She knows she would have fallen asleep as soon as her body hit the bed. “Ben and I are with the field workers on harvesting the crops.”

“Ah, that’s where you two were yesterday. We didn’t see you in the garden after lunch.” Carm knows about the harvest she just didn’t know that the groundskeepers took part in it.

“Will you tell the princess?” Erin asks.

“Sure. What should I say?” Carm asks for the message she should convey.

Erin thinks about what she wants to tell the princess. She takes a deep breath knowing that today and the coming days are probably going to go the way yesterday did. That she’s not gonna be seeing the princess much until the harvest is over. “Tell her I’m sorry. I’ll come by this evening if I can, but we work til dark. Yesterday I ate and went to bed.” Erin tells Carm.

“I’ll let her know.” Carm nods. “The princess knows how important the harvest is. I’m sure she’ll understand.”

“Thanks.” Erin says and gets up from her bench. “I gotta go.” She tells Carm.

“See ya later, buddy.” Carm replies and goes back to eating her breakfast.

Erin goes out and meets with Ben and the other field workers.

Erin didn’t realize how many fields there were around the castle. It’s mostly field after field of different crops. Wheat, soybeans, oats, corn, hay that will be used for both the people and the animals. Everything is used. Nothing is wasted. After the wheat and soybeans are harvested the stalks are harvested for straw and used for bedding for the animals and varies other things.

They work all day on wheat and then soybeans when the wheat fields are finished. The group works until dark, like the day before. Thomas brings sandwiches for lunch and dinner again.

When finished for the day Erin is dead tired and heads right to bed. She wants to go see the princess but knows that she would fall asleep as soon as she got there. She knows that wouldn’t make for a very good visit.

The next few days are the same. After the harvest crew finishes with the soybeans and moves on to oats. Erin doesn’t get her ‘day off’ and Ben tells her that when the harvest is over everyone that worked in the fields gets two days off in a row for all their hard work.


	13. Chapter 13

On the fifth day of the harvest they have to quit early because it starts to rain and they can’t harvest in the rain.

Erin has her usual dinner and even though she’s absolutely tired she makes her way up to the princess’s room. She stands at the one window and looks out as the sun sets behind the clouds and darkness takes over. She knows that if she sits down she’ll fall asleep. So she stands.

When Erin hears the door open she spins around to see Ella and Carm entering the room. Ella runs at her. Erin opens her arms and catches the princess when she jumps.

“Why have you been gone so long?” Ella mumbles against Erin’s neck where her face is buried. She knows the answer to her own question but still asks. Ella kisses the skin there a few times before just relishing in the fact that Erin is with her.

Erin chuckles a little. “I’ve been working. It’s the harvest.” She supplies.

“I know that.” Ella pulls back to see Erin’s face. She kisses her thoroughly. “I just really, really, really missed you.” Ella practically whines.

“I know.” Erin nods. “I missed you too.” She knows the feeling. She sets Ella back on her feet again.

Before either of them can say anything else, Carm interjects. “Let’s get you out of that dress and then you guys can have your little reunion.”

Erin rolls her eyes, looking at Ella. The princess giggles but goes over to where Carm is standing with nightgown in hand. Erin turns around as Carm helps Ella out of her dress and into the nightgown.

Ella grabs Erin by the hand once she’s finished and walks them over to the bed. Ella gets up onto the bed first and Erin follows her. “I have to warn you. I’m probably gonna fall asleep.” Erin says with a sad smile.

“I don’t mind. As long as you’re here, with me.”

Carm pours and hands Ella her tea. The princess takes a few quick sips of the tea as Carm exits the room right away. Carm knows that tonight is not a night to linger and gives the couple their privacy. “Good night.” Carm says at the door.

Ella sits with her back against the headboard with Erin curled into her side. She has her tea in one hand, the other wrapped around Erin. “I can’t wait til the harvest is over.” Ella complains. “You’re working too hard.” She tells Erin.

“It’s not like I have a choice.” Erin yawns.

“See.” Ella points out the yawn to prove her point. “You can’t even stay awake.” She says in addition.

“I told you I’d probably fall asleep.” Erin shrugs. Ella sighs resigning herself to the reality of the situation. She sips her tea as they settle in. “How have you been?” Erin asks after a few quiet seconds. She wants to know all about Ella and how her days have been.

“My days are far more boring when I don’t get to see you.” She grins down at Erin.

“I’m not that exciting.” Erin points out.

“I think you are.” Ella leans in for a quick kiss.

Erin tucks further into the princess after the kiss. “You’re comfy.” She yawns.

“Here.” Ella hands Erin her tea cup.

“I don’t drink tea.” Erin says looking into the cup.

“I know silly.” Ella shakes her head gently. That’s not why she was giving Erin the cup. “Put it on the tray.” She instructs.

Erin nods and does as she’s told. When she turns back to Ella, she is laying in the bed no longer resting against the headboard. Erin scoots down into a similar position to lay with her. She turns on her side to face the princess. Ella mirrors her position.

“Hi.” Erin whispers.

“Hey.” Ella smiles her Erin smile. Her fingers trace over Erin’s cheek, over her nose, up to her forehead. Ella takes the cap from atop Erin’s head. “Better.” She whispers, running her fingers through the hair, loosening it. Erin hums in delight.

“Do you like that?” Ella asks with a little giggle.

“Very much so.” Erin nods and when she does their noses brush against each other. “I love it.” She hums. “I love you.” Erin yawns.

Ella kisses her on the forehead and Erin closes her tired eyes. “I love you, too.” Ella says knowing it’s probably only seconds before Erin falls asleep. Ella tangles their ankles together and Erin sighs again. The princess strokes through Erin’s hair for a few more seconds before she’s asleep. She switches from Erin’s hair to her back, rubbing her hand over it gently helping Erin off to dreamland. After she knows that Erin is soundly asleep she pulls her flush against her chest. Making sure Erin’s head is tucked under her chin, holding her close, and drifting off to sleep herself.

* * *

 

The sun is up when Erin wakes up. Which she finds weird because she doesn’t usually see the sun first thing in the morning. It’s always dark in the servant’s quarters. That’s when it hits her. The comfortable bed that she’s laying on, the amazingly warm body that’s curled up at her side, the sunlight filtering into the room. She slept all night in the princess’s bed and not on her cot in the servant’s quarters.

“Shit.” Erin mumbles as she opens her eyes. She’s laying on her back with the princess’s head on her chest. Ella’s arm is draped over her waist effectively pinning her down. “Ella?” Erin whispers trying to wake the princess. It doesn’t work. So she gently shakes the girl’s shoulder. “Ella.” Erin says a little louder and with more panic in her voice. She doesn’t know how late it is, but the situation she finds herself in isn’t a good one for a couple of reasons.

“Wha-?” Ella mumbles sleepily.

“Ella, I have to get up. I have to leave.” Erin says frantically.

Ella’s eyes pop open and she’s suddenly alert when her thoughts catch up to her “Shit.” She mumbles and hops out of bed.

“That’s what I said.” Erin grins. It’s funny but she doesn’t have time to dwell on it. Erin gets out of bed too. She grabs her cap and twists her hair up into it. “I’m so screwed.” Erin panics. “What if somebody sees me? What if I’m late and already missed breakfast? What if Carm comes in? What if your parents find out? What if the wagon already left without me? What if-“

Erin is cut off by a pair of lips on hers. “You’ll be fine.” Ella says.

“How do you know?” Erin questions.

“Because- I have faith in you. I’m confident that you can work your way through this. Now go.” Ella steps to the side to let Erin pass by her. Erin takes a step and Ella smacks her on the butt. Erin jumps a little and looks over her shoulder at Ella. The princess smirks devilishly back. “Go.” Ella flicks her hand at the door. Erin goes to the door and starts to open it. “Look both ways before you go.” Ella reminds. Erin looks back at the princess and nods. Ella smiles and blows Erin a kiss.

Erin turns back to the hallway, looks left, then right. She doesn’t see anyone. She steps into the hall quickly. She practically runs down the hall, and the stairs. She scurries through the kitchen and out the door into the morning light. Erin runs the length of the castle towards the stables. The wagons are already departing for the fields. She’s late, but if she runs at full speed Erin thinks she can catch the last one. She runs as fast as she can and gains ground on the last wagon of the group. When she’s a few feet away she leaps through the air. The next few seconds are scary but Erin lands mostly on the flatbed of the wagon. Her hands scramble for purchase as her right leg doesn’t quite make it onto the wagon. Erin pushes herself up and manages to get her right knee up onto the wooden bed.

She then collapses from the exertion. She’s out of breath. The other four occupants of the wagon all look at her curiously. She could care less about what they think though. Erin barely just saved her own ass and it’s gonna be a long day. She didn’t get breakfast and just used a lot of her energy catching up to the wagon.

But, Erin smiles despite it all. She woke up with the princess. And it was the best thing ever. Even in the panicked state she was in. It might even be better than falling asleep with the princess. To have the person she loves curled up next to her in the morning after sharing a bed the entire night.

* * *

 

The day is terrible for Erin. The sandwich she gets at lunchtime she devours in seconds and she’s still hungry for more. She feels sluggish all day long. The work never stops, though, so she can’t stop. They are working on the hay crop now. It’s pokey and keeps jabbing Erin in the arms and legs and she’s irritated.

Ben finally catches her at dinnertime. They are eating their sandwiches and sitting on the edge of the wagon. “Where were ya this morning?” He asks.

Erin eyes go wide. She’s gonna have to think fast. “I had something to take care of this morning.” Erin tells him.

Ben nods, seemingly accepting this answer, and finishes his sandwich.

“Sorry I was late.” Erin adds as an afterthought.

“Don’t apologize to me. Just don’t make a habit of it or I’ll have to speak with someone.” Ben scolds.

“I won’t.” Erin promises.

They finish their sandwiches and go back to work. The crew works until dark, then returns to the castle. The ride takes a few minutes and Erin nearly falls asleep on the wagon from exhaustion. She gets back to the servant’s quarters, has a bowl of soup, and goes right to sleep.

However, someone wakes her up a little while later. “Erin. Erin.” She whispers in the dark.

“What?” Erin grumbles, recognizing Carm’s voice right away. She doesn’t appreciate being woken up.

“What happened today?” Carm insists.

“I worked.” Erin doesn’t know what Carm is referring to. All Erin did was work all day.

“That’s not what I meant.” Carm says.

“Then maybe you should say what you mean.” Erin snaps. She doesn’t have time for this right now. She needs sleep.

Carm holds her hands up in defense. “Woah. Someone’s crabby.”

“I’m exhausted and want to sleep.” Erin tells her bluntly. “Can we do this in the morning?” Erin asks.

“I guess but-“ Carm says hesitantly.

Erin rolls her eyes at Carm even though it’s dark. “What is it, Carm?” She knows there’s something that Carm’s holding back.

“The princess- nevermind we can do this in the morning.” Carm says and gets up from kneeling next to the cot. She changed her mind. They don’t need to talk right now, it can wait until morning.

Erin reaches out and snatches Carm’s wrist before she can go anywhere. “What about the princess?” Erin’s words have a bite to them. Carm’s not gonna mess around with her like that. Erin’s not gonna let her just bring up the princess and drop it like she never said anything. She needs to make sure anything is okay with the princess, if nothing else.

“It’s nothing.” Carm kneels down again. “Really. She just wanted to know how your morning was. She wouldn’t tell me what that meant because I told her I’m sure your morning was the same as it has been since the beginning of the harvest. Did something happen this morning?” Carm asks. She’s really confused about why Ella asked about Erin’s morning. She hates being stuck between the two sometimes. Especially when they don’t tell her all the details. Especially the important details.

“No.” Erin says.

“Are you sure cuz _the princess_ made it sound like something happened.”  Carm reiterates.

“No. Nothing happened. It was like every other morning. I got up and- and went to work.” Erin tells her. The stutter betrays her.

“What was that?” Carm hears the hesitance and questions the matter further.

“What?” Erin tries to play it off.

“That little stutter. You’re hiding something.” Carm licks her lips and squints her eyes at Erin. “What is it?” She knows there’s something just from Erin’s behavior, her lack of speaking right now.

“I’m not, but you can believe whatever you want. Can I go back to bed now?” Erin denies it.

“Fine.” Carm huffs. “We’re not done with this though.” She points her finger at Erin.

“Whatever.” Erin rolls over on side, putting her back to Carm, and effectively shutting down the conversation. A few seconds later she hears Carm get to her feet and leave.

* * *

 

In the morning, Erin is eating breakfast at the table when Carm sits down next to her. She was hoping to get done eating early and avoid having to talk to Carm, but no luck.

“You’re a little shit.” Carm says.

“Good morning, Carm.” Erin greets the girl properly, unlike Carm. “What are you talking about now?” She asks, knowing Carm has something specific she’s wants to talk about.

“Remember that conversation we had last night?” Carm asks, folding her hands together and setting them on the table between herself and her bowl.

“You mean when you woke me up and disrupted my sleep. Yes, I remember that.” Erin says sarcastically.

“Haha. Funny.” Carm mocks. “No, I’ve been thinking about it.”

“And?” Erin would like to know the point that Carm isn’t getting to.

“I figured it out.” Carm says triumphantly.

“Oh?” Erin looks over at Carm waiting for the next words that are about to come from her mouth.

The curly-haired servant stares at Erin intently. “You’re a little shit.” Carm tells her.

Erin rolls her eyes. “You said that already. I don’t have time for this. I’m leaving.” Erin stands from the bench.

“I didn’t see you at breakfast yesterday.” Carm says in a whisper.

“So?” Erin tries to play it off. “We don’t always eat together.”

“Sooo- I didn’t see you at breakfast yesterday.” Carm says menacingly.

Erin doesn’t have anything to say in response. Nothing good, at least. She doesn’t have a good comeback. She doesn’t have an excuse. Erin just looks down at Carm who’s still seated. A smirk starts on Carm’s lips, her eyes widen as the seconds pass. They both know Erin is busted.

“Don’t say anything.” Erin looks around. “Nothing happened. I fell asleep.” Erin tells Carm honestly.

“You little shit.” Carm says, shaking her head.

Erin rolls her eyes. She’s done with this. “Have a good day, Carm.” She walks off.

It’s another long day in the fields cutting and hand bundling hay. It’s the same as all the other days. Erin is exhausted at the end of it.

* * *

 

The field crew finishes the hay the next day and moves on to the corn crop. The final crop to take off during the harvest. In takes three plus days to finish the corn. And in total it takes eleven days to complete the entire harvest. All the workers are exhausted and looking forward to not having to work for the next two days.

* * *

 

Erin doesn’t get up for breakfast the day after the harvest is complete. She sleeps straight through, knowing that she doesn’t have to do any work today. Erin sleeps all morning and eventually gets up before lunch. She gets her food and sits down next to Carm.

“Hey, Carm. How’s it going?” Erin asks with a chipper smile.

“Hey, buddy.” Carm greets. “What you got going on this afternoon?” Carm asks, knowing that the harvest is completed and that the workers don’t have to work for two days as an added bonus.

Erin thinks for a second. “Not much. Relaxing.” Erin replies. She didn’t really have a plan for the day.

“Will we be seeing you in the garden after lunch?” Carm asks with a sneeky smile. Erin nods and hums around the spoon in her mouth. “Awesome.” Carm leaves to go get the princess for lunch. Erin finishes lunch and preps to go outside.

Erin sits on the bench in the back garden and waits for Ella and Carm to arrive. It’s only a few minutes that she has to wait.

“Erin.” Ella yells when she spots Erin in the garden.

Erin has to refrain from going over and embracing the princess. “Hi.” She says simply instead.

The princess looks like she’s about to burst from excitement. Ella smiles her Erin smiles as she approaches. “Carm said the harvest is finished.” She says, coming to a stop in front of Erin.

“It is.” Erin confirms. “You wanna know the best part?” Ella nods. “I get today and tomorrow off from working.” Erin smiles. She’s looking forward to spending time with the princess again.

“And the day after that is the harvest ball.” Ella supplies.

Erin wrinkles up her face. She didn’t know there was a ball.

“There’s a dance at night to celebrate the successful harvest.” Carm informs Erin.

“Oh.” Erin mumbles.

“I’m super excited about that part.” Ella bounces on her toes.

“Why?” Erin asks curiously.

“Cuz I’ll be there and you’ll be there.” Ella tells her like Erin should have already known the answer.

“Oh.” Erin says again.

Carm laughs. “I’ll just be over there if you need me.” Carm points to the property line. Ella nods and takes Erin’s hand.

They go sit under the maple tree. Erin sits with her back to the trunk of the tree. Ella sits in a similar position next to Erin, no space between their bodies. Ella holds Erin’s hand in her lap and smiles happily. “I’ve only seen you once in eleven days.” Ella says and bites her lip, nervous of what Erin will think.

“And you nearly got me in trouble.” Erin reminds Ella of the time they saw each other.

Ella laughs. “That’s all on you.” She tells Erin.

Erin huffs. She can’t blame Ella for that, really. It was her fault she didn’t wake up during the night or early enough in the morning. “There is a positive to that day though.” Erin mumbles.

“Oh yeah?” Ella asks, intrigued.

Erin nods. “I got to wake up with you cuddled up next to me.” Erin says and ducks her head, shy and slightly embarrassed at the cheesy confession.

“Aww. You’re so cute.” Ella puts her finger under Erin’s chin and tilts her head up so she can look into her eyes. “If we weren’t out here I’d kiss you right now. You and your sweet words.” Ella whispers.

Erin blushes harder than she previously was.

“You don’t have any work obligations tomorrow, right?” Ella asks. Erin narrows her eyes wondering what the princess is thinking, but shakes her head to indicate she is free the next day. “I was thinking- if you wanted- that maybe- if it’s okay with you- that we could-“ Ella stutters hard, nervous all of a sudden. The idea sounded great in her mind.

“Just say it.” Erin whispers.

“We could do it again tonight.” Ella whispers.

“Are you asking me to spend the night with you again?” Erin asks with a smirk.

“Maybe.” Ella ducks her head and blushes.

“Who’s the cute one now?” Erin chuckles. After a beat she squeezes Ella’s hand to get her attention back. Ella glances over at Erin. “Of course, my princess.” Erin says happily.

“Awesome. I can’t wait.” Ella leans to her left and rests her head on Erin’s shoulder. “It feels like ages since I’ve been alone with you.” She comments.

“I know the feeling.” Erin agrees. They’re definitely on the same page. “So, what’s new? What have I missed? What has the princess been up to while I’ve been away?” Erin asks looking down at the girl next to her.

“Not a lot. But-“ Ella pauses and licks her lips. “I did talk to my father.”

“And?” Erin prompts.

“No more suitors- for now. I told him it was too much. Too much pressure on a young princess to decide her future so quickly. I explained to him that I wanted to go at my pace. I think he was hesitant at first but he agreed.” Ella explains, briefly, the conversation she had with her father.

Erin sighs, relieved. “That’s good.”

Ella nods. “It is.”

They sit talking for a while before Carm comes back. “I have returned.” Carm announces her presence, louder than necessary. “Did you miss me?” She grins.

“No.” Erin and Ella both say at the same time and then burst into laughter.

Carm frowns. “You two together is only gonna cause problems for me, isn’t it?” Carm ponders aloud.

“Probably.” Erin tells her and stands up. She holds out her hand for the princess to help her to her feet.

“Thank you.” Ella whispers to Erin once she’s standing. “What’s on the schedule for this afternoon, Carm?” Ella releases Erin’s hand and approaches her personal servant.

“We have to find you a dress for the harvest ball.” Carm tells her.

“Ohh. Can Erin help?” Ella asks excitedly.

Carm looks over and narrows her eyes at Erin. Erin shrugs in response. She isn’t the one who brought up the idea. Carm turns her narrowed eyes to Ella next. “No.” Carm says sternly. “Let’s go.” Carm says, turning and walking away.

Ella looks to Erin. “You tried.” Erin says and shrugs.

Ella pouts. “I guess I’ll see you later.” She says sadly.

“After dinner.” Erin adds, as a promise. She watches as Carm and Ella reenter the castle. After they disappear she decides to take a long relaxing walk before returning to her cot to prepare for dinner.

* * *

 

Erin waits for Ella and Carm, sitting on the bed like usual. When Ella opens the door she runs into the room and tackles Erin onto the bed. They fall backwards in an embrace. Ella’s lips pressing to kisses Erin’s neck. Erin sighs happily.

Carm pours the tea while the two have their little reunion. “You saw each other this afternoon.” Carm groans.

Ella retracts her face from Erin’s neck. “You don’t understand, Carm.” Ella tells her as much.

“You’re right about that.” Carm scoffs.

“You’ll find someone who you love one day.” Ella adds.

Carm stops what she’s doing to look over at the pair. “Love?” She raises an eyebrow.

“Yeah, love, Carm.” Ella giggles. “It’s not that difficult of a concept.” Ella says.

“I don’t think that’s what she meant.” Erin speaks up. “But, yes Carm, love. I love her and she loves me.” Erin says proudly with the biggest smile on her face. Ella kisses Erin hard, just then.

“Wow.” Carm moves over to the closet to get Ella’s nightgown. “The princess and the servant.” Carm mumbles, pulling out a fresh nightgown. “In love.”

Ella slips off of Erin and off of the bed. She stands and goes over to the middle of the room. “Yep.” She says happily. Carm starts untying Ella’s dress. “Close your eyes, Erin. Remember. I know it’s been a long time. No peeking.” Ella teases.

Erin rolls her eyes. “I got it.” Erin says and does as the princess asks. “Did you pick out a dress for the harvest ball?” Erin asks, with her arm draped over her eyes, as she lays on the bed.

“No.” Carm groans before the princess can respond for herself.

“Nothing was satisfactory enough. I want to look my absolute best.” Ella supplies her answer.

“You could wear a burlap sack and still look better than everyone else in the room.” Erin says.

Carm refrains from laughing but just barely. She can’t believe these two and whole corny and cheesy they are with each other.

Meanwhile, Ella scoffs. “I doubt that.” She shakes her head at Erin’s silly words. “Anyway, Carm and I are going to the market tomorrow to look for something. You should come with us.” Ella suggests.

“I don’t think so.” Carm grumbles.

Erin completely ignores what Carm said. “Would that even be a possibility?” She asks.

Ella hums and runs her hands over the fabric of her nightgown as Carm finishes tying it together. She makes her way over to the bed, to Erin.

“No. It’s really not.” Carm tells Erin.

Ella crawls back onto the bed surprising Erin. “Yes. It’s more than possible.” Ella leans over Erin and kisses her cheek. Erin removes her arm from her eyes, and wraps her arms around Ella, and pulls her down onto her chest. “Anything’s possible.” Ella whispers.

“I poured your tea. It’s on the nightstand. I’d give it to you but you seem rather preoccupied.” Carm says, annoyed. Tomorrow is going to be a long day for her. She already knows that. She knows it will most likely be a challenge to get the princess to focus on picking out a dress or a fabric for a dress if Erin is with them. “I’ll see you in the morning.” Carm goes to leave.

“Night, Carm.” Ella giggles.

“Yeah, sleep well.” Erin adds with a smirk. She thoroughly enjoys messing with Carm.

Carm waves a hand at them and shuts the door without a word. “She’s gonna kill us.” Ella laughs.

Erin shrugs. “She won’t, but she might get really angry.” She smiles. “We make her life exciting. She should be thanking us.” Erin says.

Ella laughs, burying her face in Erin’s shoulder. Erin kisses the side of Ella’s head, getting a sigh from the princess. “But- will you come with tomorrow?” Ella asks, changing the topic back.

“Of course. If it’s not a problem, that is.” Erin tells her. She wants to make sure it’s not a problem and that if she goes with to the market no one will get in trouble because of it, including herself.

“It’s not. I swear.” Ella lifts her head to lock her eyes with Erin’s.

“Okay.” Erin agrees. “And I promise I’ll be on my best behavior.” She says with a sly smile.

“When are you not on your best behavior?” The princess asks.

Erin smirks. “Right now.” Erin rolls them over so that Ella is laying underneath her. Ella gasps but then a smile takes over her face. Erin smiles down at the girl beneath her and leans in for a kiss. A soft kiss that turns heated and passionate before long.

Ella reaches up and removes Erin’s cap from atop her head and runs her hand through Erin’s hair. Erin’s lips travel across the princess’s cheek to the soft skin of her neck. Ella moans when Erin sucks at her pulse point. Erin rocks her hips slowly, gently adding pressure to Ella’s hips. She just wants to be as close to her as possible.

“Erin.” Ella moans. Her skin feels like it’s crawling, wiggling. Her arms, legs, everything inside of her hot with excitement. She squirms, not knowing what to do about it.

Erin’s lips travel to Ella’s exposed collarbone. She kisses every inch of skin that’s visible. The princess claws at Erin’s back trying to hold onto something, anything. Eventually, Ella pulls Erin’s shirt out from being tucked into her pants. Her hands coming into contact with the warm skin of Erin’s lower back.

Erin presses more insistently with her hips into Ella’s body. She feels the stirring in her gut that wants more. That’s when she realizes what’s happening and pulls back, removing her lips from Ella’s skin. Erin licks her lips and looks down at the woman beneath her. Ella has her eyes closed, her mouth hanging ajar slightly, gasping for air.

“Ella?” Erin asks softly

The blonde’s eyes slowly flicker open. “Huh?” She grunts, dazed. “Why’d you stop?” Ella asks, not thinking.

“Cuz I- cuz-“ Erin doesn’t know how to voice what she’s trying to say. “I want to make sure you’re okay with this.” Erin says, shy all of a sudden now that her brain is working again.

Ella bites her bottom lip. She pulls Erin’s head down and gives her a bruising kiss. Hungry and passionate. “I’m more than okay with this.” Ella confirms.

“I just wanted to make sure- if I- if we- just stop me if you’re not okay with something.” Erin tells her.

Ella smirks, seductively. “Stop worrying and kiss me, silly.”

Things heat up further and Ella ends up pulling Erin’s vest, then shirt from over her head. Her hands roam the new territory of their own accord.

Erin basks in the feel of Ella’s hands on her body, on her chest. “I love you, so much.” She says between sloppy kisses.

Ella smiles into a kiss. She appreciates Erin’s body, her strong, slim physic. “Who knew this was hiding under that shirt?” Ella husks.

Erin hums and kisses at Ella’s collarbone again, venturing lower until the top hem of Ella’s nightgown gets in the way. She grunts in annoyance.

“Take it off.” Ella moans.

Erin’s eye pop open. Her head pops up and she looks to Ella’s face. “What?” She asks. She needs to make sure she is clear on this. She needs to make sure she heard Ella correctly and she’s not just making it up in her own head.

“Take- it off.” Ella shies away a little, turning her head to the side.

Erin reaches out and tilts her head back with a gentle finger on her jaw. “Are you sure?” Erin asks. Ella nods. “I need you to say it.” Erin tells her.

Ella looks directly at Erin saying it with her eyes as well as her words. “I’m one hundred percent sure.” Ella husks.

“Okay.” Erin kisses her soundly, her lips keep constant contact with Ella’s. Her hands fumble a little with the nightgown. First, she has to find the bottom hem. When she does she slowly lifts the dress until Ella has to lift her arms, arching her back, breaking their kiss to get the nightgown off. Erin slips the garment gently over Ella’s head, tossing it aside.

Ella feels like she needs to cover up. She’s never been this exposed for another person before. Both physically and emotionally. To feel vulnerable in this moment would be an understatement. But Erin assuages those feelings.

“You’re absolutely beautiful. I mean- I knew you were beautiful but this- right now- breathtaking.” Erin says, her eyes taking in every inch of the woman before her. Ella relaxes with Erin’s words. She knows Erin is genuine and that this is a sacred moment between them. “I love you.” Erin says and leans in for another kiss.

“I love you too, Erin.” Ella says and wraps her arms around Erin, pulling their naked torsos together.

* * *

 

“I don’t even know what to say right now.” Ella says with a sleepy, satisfied smile.

“You don’t have to say anything.” Erin tells the princess. She runs her fingers through Ella’s hair as the princess has her head on Erin’s chest. Her ear to Erin’s heart. Erin holds her close, their legs tangled together under the blankets.

“I just feel-“ Ella starts. “I feel so much right now. But, I don’t think there are words that can do what I’m feeling justice.” She says calmly.

“Me too. Me too.” Erin agrees. She kisses the top of Ella’s head. “I love you, my beautiful princess.” She says happily. “More now than ever.” Erin admits. “I’ve always felt a strong connection to you but now- after that and to be physically connected is even more powerful.” Erin tries to explain the way she feels, in the moment, for the princess.

“That was by far the most amazing, powerful, unbelievably, beautiful experience of my entire life. I’ve never felt so emotionally, mentally, and physically connected to someone as much as I feel with you right now. I love you so, so, so much Erin. Thank you.” Ella says with tears in her eyes.

Erin hears the tears in her voice. “Are you crying?” Erin asks softly.

Ella nods. “Ignore me. I’m just really emotional right now.” She says through tears.

“It’s alright.” Erin cradles the back of Ella’s head with one hand. “There’s lots going on right now.” She presses a kiss to her forehead. “I have one question though.” Erin says. Ella nods, wiping at her tears, herself. “Why’d you thank me?” She asks.

Ella lifts her head from Erin’s chest. “For loving me.” Ella says simply.

Erin smiles. “I can’t not love you.” She tells the princess and they share a sweet kiss. “Alright, enough talking for one night.” Erin says after their kiss. “What do you say we get some sleep?”

Ella nods and cuddles back into Erin’s side, her head on her chest.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm on a writing spree...

The knock on the door the next morning wakes Erin up. When she first comes to it’s with a smile on her face. She remembers what happened the night before with Ella. She feels the woman shift next to her in the bed. She smiles thinking the day couldn’t start out more perfectly. Except, the knock on the door is followed by the door opening and Erin realizing someone’s entering the princess’s bedroom. Erin quickly pulls the covers over her head on instinct.

“Oh my god.” It’s Carm’s voice.

That’s when Ella decides to wake up. “Wha-?” She mumbles. “What’s going on, Erin?” She regains some of her senses.

“Oh my god, you two.” Carm gasps.

“Shit.” Ella mumbles, realizing what’s happening now. She pulls the blankets up to her chin to cover her exposed skin. Even though Carm’s seen her nearly naked before. This situation is different.

“You two little shits.” Carm shakes her head, getting over her shock.

“Carm-“ Ella starts to explain, then remembers she doesn’t have to explain anything. Erin continues to hide completely under the blankets.

“Well, congratulations, I guess.” Carm teases. “I mean I knew, but last night with the L word and now this. Damn.” Carm goes on.

“Yeah- uh- Carm, can you let us get dressed.” Ella finally realizes the fullness of the situation and that’s why Erin is hiding under the covers.

“No need to be shy, Aaron.” Carm teases. Ella gives Carm the stink eye in return. “Fine.” Carm huffs. “I’ll be at the closet. I won’t look, I promise.” She says honestly.

As soon as Carm has her back turned Ella hops out of bed and throws her nightgown on over her head not bothering to tie it up. She hurries around to the other side of the bed and finds Erin’s shirt, vest and hat in the process. She lifts the blankets to reveal a terrified and paralyzed looking Erin. “Can you sit up?” Ella asks.

Erin nods, staring straight ahead but sitting up slowly. Ella pulls the shirt over Erin’s head and whispers in her ear. “It’s alright. Carm didn’t see anything.” Ella tries to get a reaction out of Erin, any reaction. She knows Erin is panicking internally. Ella rubs her palms up and down Erin’s arms. Ella knows if Carm saw something she would have said something right away. The fact that she didn’t say anything convinces Ella that Carm didn’t see anything. Ella gets Erin’s pants from the floor next to the bed and hands them to her. “Put your pants on.” Ella says out loud. Erin nods and reaches for her pants, pulling them up her legs.

“You ready yet?” Carm asks, annoyed.

“Just about.” Ella says as Erin stands to pull her pant to her waist. Once Erin has a shirt and pants on Ella gives her a kiss. “I love you.”” Ella sing-songs with a cheeky smile.

“Love you too.” Erin says still a little out of sorts after Carm barged in on them.

“Enough.” Carm comes away from the closet. “Let’s get you dressed so you can have breakfast.” Carm tells Ella. Ella crosses the room to meet Carm where she stands with a dress for Ella to put on. “I’d tell Aaron to close his eyes but it’s nothing he hasn’t seen.” Carm teases.

Ella and Erin both winces at the male pronouns that Carm uses. “Oh, come on. That was supposed to be funny.” Carm huffs. “You guys are no fun.” She looks between the two of them. “Well, maybe you are but- in a different way, apparently.” Carm laughs. “Nothing. Oh come on.” She groans when she doesn’t get a laugh out of Ella or Erin. “Fine. I give up. Let’s get you in this dress.” Carm says in defeat.

Ella raises her arms and Carm pulls the nightgown off of Ella’s body. Ella’s not really in a talking mood right now. She’d rather still be in bed with Erin. She bummed Carm came in before they were awake. Ella keeps glancing over to Erin, who’s sitting on the bed.

Erin takes her time putting her shoes and vest and cap on. She glances over in the princess’s direction when she’s finished. The night before was beyond amazing for Erin. This morning is great despite Carm’s surprise appearance. She gets up from the edge of the bed and waits for Carm to put the final touches on Ella’s outfit for the day. Ella now has her back to Erin but Carm faces her.

“So, how’s this gonna work today?” Erin asks.

Carm is prepared with an answer. “Ella will go down for breakfast with her parents. And you-“ Carm nods at Erin “-will go down after us and get your own breakfast. After breakfast, I’ll arrange for a carriage, get some sandwiches from Thomas, and then I’ll get the princess to the carriage. That’s where you’ll meet us. If anyone asks, I requested your assistance at the market today and that’s why you’re coming.” She’s thought about all the details.

“Okay.” Erin agrees to that plan. Not that she has a choice. Erin watches and smiles as Ella finishes getting dressed with Carm’s help.

Carm looks over and sees the smile on Erin’s face. The smile someone gets when they just adore another person. She catches Erin’s eye and nods. Carm steps back to grab a hairbrush.

Erin walks around the bed and up behind Ella. She wraps her arms around Ella from behind, resting her chin on Ella’s right shoulder. Ella sighs and leans back into Erin’s body. “You look so pretty. I really like that dress.” Erin whispers in Ella’s ear.

Carm comes back with the hairbrush and holds it out for one of them to take.

“Thank you.” Ella whispers back to Erin.

Erin reaches out and takes the brush from Carm. “May I?” Erin asks.

“I would love it if you did.” Ella says.

Erin brushes through Ella’s thick blonde hair. Carm leaves the two alone and tidies up the room. She takes care of the nightgown. She makes the bed and gathers up the tea tray from the bedside table. “When you’re finished we’ll go down for breakfast.” Carm tries to speed up the process.

“Okay.” Erin acknowledges that she, at least, heard what Carm just said. Erin runs the brush through Ella’s hair once more. The princess sighs happily when Erin kisses her to indicate that she’s finished. “I’ll see you after breakfast, my princess.” Erin says sweetly.

“Okay.” Ella whispers with a happy smile. She leans up on her toes and kisses Erin once more before they part.

Carm waits by the door trying not to make any comments even though it’s very difficult for her to hold her tongue.

* * *

 

Erin waits by the front steps for the carriage to pull up. When it does she waits some more. She sits down on the bottom step, she has to wait for Carm. Erin doesn’t want to do something wrong and mess this up. Ella would be devastated if Erin didn’t get to go along to the market. Erin would be devastated too. She just wants to be near the princess in any capacity possible.

A few minutes pass before Carm exits the castle doors. Alone. Erin scampers up from the steps. “Where’s the princess?” Erin questions.

Carm gives her a tight-lipped smile as she descends the stairs to Erin. “She’s speaking with her father. They’ll be out in a minute.” Carm explains.

Erin breathes a sigh of relief. “Oh.” She thought that something happened to the princess.

Carm chuckles. “Don’t get yourself so worked up. You’ll get your day with the princess.” Carm says quietly so the carriage driver doesn’t hear. Erin nods. “You can hop in.” Carm gestures to the carriage. “I have to wait for the princess.” Carm comes to a stop at the bottom of the stairs. Erin simply nods and does as Carm suggests. It’s only the second time Erin has ever been in a carriage.

The King escorts his daughter down the marble steps. They stop outside the carriage door. “Have a good day at the markets.” King William tells his daughter.

“I will.” Ella bounces on her toes. The King leans in and presses a kiss to his daughter’s cheek. She smiles up at him when he leans away from her. He holds out his arm and the princess takes a hold of it. He helps the princess step into the carriage.

Ella takes the first step, and then the second, finally stepping into the carriage. “Ahh.” She yells.

“What’s wrong?” The King asks and sticks his head into the carriage.

Carm tries not to laugh but fails when she ends up snorting in an attempt to hold in her laugh.

Ella smiles after her initial fright and sits down on the bench next to Erin. Erin sits stature-esqe in her spot. “It’s nothing.” The princess tells her father. She focuses in on her father’s face. He’s looking blankly ahead at Erin.

“Your Majesty.” Erin says politely with a nods of her head.

Carm jumps in to rescue the awkward situation from becoming more awkward. “Your Majesty, I requested Aaron’s assistance at the markets today.” Carm explains Erin’s presence in the carriage to the man.

“I see.” The King nods and smiles at Erin.

“Just scared me, that’s all.” Ella tells him.

The King nods again. “Alrighty. Well, have a good day.” He says.

“We will.” Ella says with a smile.

The King narrows his eyes at her momentarily before relaxing and nodding. He takes a step back from the carriage. Carm steps in and reaches behind her for the door. “I got it.” The King tells her and starts to close the door for Carm.

“Thank you, sir.” Carm says as the door closes.

The King latches the door and pats the side of the carriage. “Alright, James.” He yells to the carriage driver. James snaps the reins and the carriage takes off down the driveway.

“Sorry.” Erin whispers after they turn off of the castle grounds. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

Ella takes Erin’s hand, brings it to her lips, and kisses Erin’s fingers. “It’s fine. I just didn’t know you’d be in here.” Ella says. Her eyes turn from Erin to the person sitting across from them. “Carm coulda given me a heads up.” Ella narrows her eyes at Carm. Carm just shrugs. “Anyway.” Ella continues, forgetting the incident. “I’m really glad you get to come with today.” She says, practically bouncing in her seat from excitement.

“Me too.” Erin is beyond pleased that she is able to do this.

“Me three.” Carm chimes in sarcastically. Ella and Erin both look over at Carm. “Just remember that I’m still here. And I actually expect help from you today.” Carm points to Erin. “This isn’t just a fun day. We have to find either a dress or material for a dress for Ella today.” She scolds Erin for something she hasn’t even done.

“Calm down, Carm.” Ella interjects. “It will all be fine. You always get so stressed about these kind of trips.” She says.

Carm huffs. “That’s because they are always a chaotic mess.” She folds her arms over her chest and scowls.

Ella or Erin don’t comment further. They ride in the carriage in comfortable silence for most the trip to the market. Ella leans into Erin’s side, resting her head on Erin’s shoulder. Every now and then she kisses her cheek or the side of her neck or sometimes hand. Ella stays in constant contact with Erin’s for the entire ride.

* * *

 

The carriage comes to a stop outside the market. “Okay, let’s do this.” Carm says, taking a deep breath, preparing herself for what’s outside the carriage door. She opens the door and the noise is the first thing that hits them. The second is the smell. It’s loud. Voices yelling over each other and it smells like a mixture of perfumes and foods.

“Wow.” Erin mumbles.

“You ready?” Ella asks and Erin nods.

They exit the carriage and Erin doesn’t know where to look first. There’s so much all around them. Dozens of stalls line the street on both sides. There are people everywhere. Some of the people immediately around them stop what they are doing to stare in their direction.

“What’s happening?” Erin asks.

Carm’s the one to tell her. “You just got out of a carriage with the Princess of the Kingdom.” She whispers to Erin.

“Oh. Right.” Erin nods. Sometimes she forgets that Ella is the princess and that people are in awe to see her. Much like she was in awe the first few times she saw the princess herself. But, that was for different reasons.

Ella waves and nods, politely saying hello to the people around her. She likes to treat the people very well.

“Okay.” Carm’s had enough already. She gathers Ella and they start walking down the street. Ella looks over the items that are for sale in the stalls as they walk. Erin mostly just looks anywhere her eyes take her.

Carm guides the princess through the now growing crowd. Word has spread fast that the princess is at the markets and people start to gather. Some follow them as they walk.

Ella points out some things that she likes to Erin and Erin agrees or comments or just takes note of the kinds of things the princess likes. They walk around like that until Carm stops them at a fabric stall. There are dozens of exotic fabrics and prints. Some solid colors and others with different patterns.

Erin has never seen so much variety at once. Carm and Ella look over the different fabrics trying to pick one for a dress. Erin just can’t seem to focus on everything though. There’s so much going on around the three of them. There are people boxing them in in an effort to get a glimpse of the princess.

“What about this one?” Carm asks Ella.

“Hmm, I don’t know. Don’t you think it’s too flashy?” Ella asks Carm.

Carm laughs. “You’re the princess.” Carm doesn’t think anything is to flashy for a princess to wear. The princess could get away with wearing just about anything. She puts that fabric down and picks up another. “What about this?” Carm asks.

“That’s better but I still don’t know.” Ella sighs, feeling the fabric. She looks over at Erin who isn’t paying attention and elbows her in the side. “What do you think?” She asks holding out the fabric for Erin to see.

“Geez, you didn’t have to jab me in the side with your pointy ass elbow.” Erin complains.

People in the crowd around them gasp that a servant is talking to the princess the way that Erin just did.

Erin looks around, her cheeks heating up. She remembers where she is again, and who she’s with, and how she should act. “I mean-“ Erin mumbles actually looking down at the fabric that Ella is holding. She likes the look of it. “-it’s a lovely fabric, Princess.” Erin says plainly, politely.

Ella smiles brightly at Erin. “We’ll take this one.” The princess tells the stall owner. If Erin likes it, it’s good for her.

Erin’s eyes grow big. She locks eyes with Ella. Ella just smiles and giggles.

The stall owner wraps up the fabric for the princess. And it’s not very exciting, not enough to hold Erin’s attention. She ends up looking around again. She now knows why Carm doesn’t enjoy this. There is probably in upwards of fifty people surrounding them. Ella doesn’t seem bothered by it though.

Not paying attention to Ella and the fabric stall pays off for Erin though. She sees it a split second before she hears it even. “Princess! Princess!” A little girl shouts as she runs at the princess. She slips between and around the legs of the adults easily, taking a direct line towards Ella.

Ella spins her head around at the shouts to see the girl coming at her. The little girl is a few feet away and coming fast when Erin intervenes. She steps in front of Ella and crouches down, holding an arm out and stopping the girl from getting to the princess. Erin wraps her arms around the girl, holding her, keeping her from moving closer.

“Princess.” The girl yells, more fear than excitement in her voice now. She looks at her captor with fear in her eyes.

Ella smiles, first at Erin’s protective behavior, then at the little girl. Ella steps over and squats down. “What’s your name?” She asks the little girl.

“Margaret.” The girl tells her while trying to squirm out of Erin’s arm hold.

“And how old are you?” Ella asks, trying to distract the girl and have her forget Erin’s grasp around her.

It works. “Six.” The girl tells Ella with a smile.

“Ah, a wonderful age.” Ella comments. “This-“ Ella puts a hand on Erin’s shoulder, right in the little girl’s vision. “-is my friend, Erin.” She introduces her to the little girl.

The girl takes her eyes off of the princess for a split second to look at Erin curiously. “He’s mean.” The girl says and it makes Ella laugh.

The crowd around watches on intently, curiously, as Ella and the little girl have their exchange. Eyes even follow Erin’s every move.

“He’s not mean.” Ella squeezes Erin’s shoulder. “Just trying to keep me safe, is all. Erin works for me.” Ella avoids pronouns as much as possible and also avoids using the word servant.

Erin realizes what Ella is saying and doing. The shoulder squeeze. Ella is telling her to let the child go. So Erin does. She releases the little girl and stands from her crouched position.

The girl bursts forward and wraps her arms around the princess. That’s when a woman pushes through the crowd. “Margaret.” She scolds. “We don’t touch the princess.” The girl lets go of Ella immediately.

“It’s alright.” Ella looks up to the woman. “She just got excited, but now knows the next time she sees me she can’t come running up and hugging me.” Ella says to the little girl, to her mother, to everyone really. “It was very nice to meet you, Margaret.” She tells the girl sincerely. Ella stands and the girl nods with a huge smile on her face.

Ella turns back to the fabric stall. Carm stands there with the wrapped fabric in her arms with a weird smile on her face. “What?” Ella asks.

“Nothing.” Carm shrugs. She’s very impressed with the whole thing. With Erin and her natural protectiveness. With Ella and how she handled the whole thing. “I’m just watching.” Carm takes a few steps over to Erin and shoves the fabric into her arms. “You’re carrying that.” She tells Erin. Erin nods.

Carm takes a hold of Ella’s elbow, a deep breath, and starts guiding them though the crowd back to the carriage.

* * *

 

“Oh my god you two.” Carm says, exasperated, as they all take their seats back in the carriage.

“What?” Ella asks, innocently. She can’t see why Carm is so worked up.

“Yeah, what?” Erin asks.

“That was totally crazy. All those people and then that little girl. I always feel like I’m gonna get crushed.” Carm runs a hand over her face. “It’s just so stressful.” Carm complains, off in her own little world.

Ella and Erin exchange a glance. They both thought Carm was gonna say something about them. Something about them behaving in public, or respecting boundaries in public, or being less obvious in public.

“I’m glad you came with Aaron.” Carm says, looking over at her. “You totally saved my ass out there. Not that my ass needed saving but- ugh- you know what I mean.” Carm sighs.

“I don’t think I do.” Erin says seriously.

Ella giggles next to her.

Carm groans. “With the kid. I was busy with the fabric. You handled it perfectly, even though you don’t have any security training.” She says slumping down in her seat, exhausted.

“That kid wasn’t a threat.” Ella defends the little one.

Carm shoots the princess a look. “You never know.”

“Yeah.” Erin tends to agree with Carm on this one.

“Whatever.” Ella rolls her eyes. “Thank you, though, my prince.” Ella turns her attention to Erin. She leans over and kisses Erin’s cheek.

“Ugh.” Carm groans. “You two are seriously too much.” Carm looks out the little window on the carriage door. “I need a drink.” She mumbles making the pair across from her laugh.

Carm has to endure the love sick couple the whole way back to the castle. Ella practically sits in Erin’s lap. She has her legs swung over Erin’s thighs, sitting sideways on the seat. They stare at each other and share kisses and hold onto each other the whole way back.

* * *

 

That evening Erin is in Ella’s room. She’s admiring the dress that hangs on the stand in the middle of the room. It’s not finished yet, but is coming along nicely. Erin can’t wait to see it finished and Ella wearing it.

Ella and Carm come in and Ella goes over to Erin and hugs her from the side. “Do you like it?” She asks.

Erin nods. “I can’t wait to see it on you.” She kisses Ella.

“Enough.” Carm swats at Erin’s arm as she passes on her way to the closet. “Time to change.” She stops them before they get too carried away.

Erin goes to sit on the bed as Carm helps Ella change into her nightgown. Not ashamed or shy about watching the princess change. She’s beautiful and it mesmerizes Erin.

Ella goes over to Erin when she finished and kisses the dopey grin on Erin’s face. “Hey.” Ella whispers to her.

“Hi.” Erin smiles, happy as ever. “I love you.” She whispers wrapping Ella up in her arms. “I’m so happy.” It’s like she just realized it. Like it hit her all of a sudden. Erin buries her face in the crook of Ella’s neck, the emotions getting the best of her.

Ella sighs, rubbing Erin’s back. “I know. I’ve never been happier than I am right now. I love you so much.”

The bedroom door closes louder than normal and they both look up and over at it. Ella smiles and looks back to Erin. “Carm left.” She grins mischievously. It’s the first time they’ve been alone since Carm barged in on them in the morning.

“I see that.” Erin grins back just as mischievously.

Ella pushes them back so that Erin is on her back underneath her. Ella pecks Erin’s lips a couple times, teasing. That is, until Erin can’t take it anymore and puts a hand on the back of Ella’s head to prevent her from pulling away from the kiss. Erin deepens the kiss and rolls them over.

After messing around for a while, Erin returns to her cot in the servant’s quarters for the night. Much to her dislike. She has to work the next day, so it’s best, but Erin would rather spend the whole night with the princess.

* * *

 

“Morning, buddy.” Carm says as Erin sits down next to her at the breakfast table.

“Morning, Carm.” Erin says cheerfully.

“Someone’s in a good mood.” Carm chuckles.

“How can I not be?” Erin asks her. Carm shrugs. “Exactly.” Erin points at Carm with her spoon. They both take a few bites of their breakfast. “Let the princess know I say hello, will you?” Erin says after a little while.

Carm rolls her eyes. “Yeah.” She grumbles.

“Thank you.” Erin says, chipper. “Gotta go. Got important work to do.” Erin walks away from the table with a hop in her step.

She works with Ben all morning. They work on catching up on all the maintenance work that hasn’t been done over the last two weeks. Pruning roses, cutting back spent flower heads, that sort of thing.

They have lunch and then go to the back garden. It’s a mess. They work to get back to looking nice for the princess or anyone else that would spend time there.

“So, we’ll get caught up on everything and then we have to start on the fruit and vegetable harvest.” Ben says. Erin’s head snaps over to Ben when he uses the word harvest. Erin doesn’t know if she can survive through another harvest. “Don’t worry kid, it’s not as bad as the other crops. It’s just you and I, but there’s not a massive volume to harvest. You’ve seen the vegetable garden. And you and I won’t work til sundown. It’ll be easy.” He tells Erin.

Erin sighs. He’s right. She’s seen the vegetable and fruit garden. She’s had to pull weeds there. It’s not massive. “Okay.” She acknowledges.

Erin is sweeping around the bench. “Afternoon, Princess.” Ben greets.

Erin spins around to see Ella approaching. She tries to contain the smile that reaches her lips, but it’s no use. Erin is smiling from ear to ear as Ella stands before her. “Good afternoon, Princess.” She grins like a sap.

“Good afternoon.” Ella says simply to both Ben and Erin. “The garden looks very nice. I made Carm swipe while you guys were away, but she didn’t do as good of a job as you two do.” Ella tells them.

“Gee, thanks.” Carm grumbles.

Ella laughs. “You weren’t meant to be a groundskeeper, Carm.” Erin and Ben both add in with Ella’s laughter.

“Yeah. Yeah.” Carm waves them all off.

“Alright, we are about finished here. Will we see you tonight, Princess?” Ben asks. He’s the only one of the four of them standing there that doesn’t know the answer to the question.

“You will. I expect to see you dancing.” Ella jokes with Ben.

Ben laughs. “Sorry, Princess, these hips are too old for dancing.” Ben replies.

“Such a shame.” Ella feigns sadness.

“Let’s get a move on, Aaron. We’ve got prep work to do for the harvest ball.” Ben informs.

“Really?” Erin asks. She didn’t know that.

“Yep, let’s go boy.” Ben turns and walks away from the garden.

Erin winces. “Coming.” Erin gathers the broom and her pruning tools. With a smile for the princess and mouthed ‘goodbye’ Erin follows Ben back to the groundskeeping shed.

* * *

 

Erin is in the Great Hall when Ben comes up to her. “Nice shirt.” He jokes. She wearing her new shirt that Ben insisted that she get at the markets.

“Haha.” Erin says. “When’s this feast supposed to start anyway?” She asks. She’s been waiting in the wings for a handful of minutes already. Most of the servants are present and mingling about the room.

“Whenever the royal family gets here.” Ben tells her.

“Oh.” Erin didn’t know that it was that simple. That the only reason they are all waiting around is because the royals aren’t present yet.

They don’t have to wait much longer. The band strikes up a song and the doors at the head of the room open to reveal the King, and Queen, followed by the Princess, all dressed for the ball. When Erin spots the princess her jaw drops open. She mostly knew what the dress looked like, but seeing it on Ella is a completely different thing. She thinks the princess looks spectacular. “Wow.” Erin whisper.

“Yeah.” Ben says at her side. Erin didn’t think he would be able to hear her over the band but apparently he did. “They certainly command a presence.” He says.

“Yeah.” Erin agrees. That’s not exactly what she was ‘wowing’ but Ben doesn’t need to know that. Her eyes float over to the King and Queen. They look exceptionally well, too. Not that she would expect them to look anything but. Always the best. Erin spots Carm and the other two royal servants entering the Great Hall behind Ella.

The King, Queen, and Princess make their grand entrance and make their way to their seats. The band stops playing once they are all seated. The King stands up and raises his wine glass in the air above his head. “To my people. To my field workers. To those who don’t work in the fields but helped in some way. To those involved with the harvest in any way, big or small. Thank you. Thank you for another successful harvest. Thank you for all your hard work. Just thank you. Tonight is for you. Celebrate. Eat, drink, and be merry. Just remember you still have to report for work tomorrow.” The King jokes. Everyone laughs. “Cheers.” He clanks his wine glass with his wife’s and sits down.

All the servants start to find a spot at the big long table, sit, and dig into the meal that Thomas has prepared. The kitchen staff brings out the food. Erin picks a spot that is far away from the royals. She doesn’t want to draw attention to herself. She knows if she were closer to the princess she would keep looking in her direction and paying more attention to the princess than a normal servant would or should. She eats her meal in peace. It might just be the best meal Erin has had in her entire life. The band plays softly throughout.

The servants start dancing as soon as they are finished with their meals. Erin is too full to dance. Not that she has a dance partner or that she would want to dance. There’s only one person she wants to dance with. She sits in her chair and watches for a while as the servants dance and have a good time.

Carm comes over after she’s finished tending to Ella and she sits next to Erin. “How’s it going?” She asks.

“I ate too much.” Erin groans.

Carm laughs. “It’ll wear off.” She pats Erin on the shoulder. “Anyway, I didn’t just come over here to talk about gorging on food.” Erin raises an eyebrow at Carm. Carm smiles, folds her hands together on the table top in front of herself. “I have a request.” She says.

“Really?” Erin is suspicious. “What do you want?” She asks.

Carm shakes her head. “It’s not my request, really.” She says.

Erin frowns. “What?”

Carm leans over and whispers. “The princess requested that I dance with you. Or- that you dance with me.”

Erin’s eyes get big. She sits up a bit in her chair and looks down the length of the table to where the princess is sitting. Ella had been watching. She smiles as soon as Erin’s eyes are on her. “Why?” Erin asks Carm, still looking at the princess.

“How the hell should I know?” Carm huffs. “It’s your weird relationship, not mine.” She adds.

The princess nods at Erin. That’s all she needs. “Okay.” Erin says to herself, or the princess, or maybe even Carm. Erin stands from her chair and holds her hand out to Carm. “May I have this dance?” Erin asks properly.

Carm gives Erin a weird look, trying to keep from laughing and takes Erin’s hand in her own. “You may.” She says.

Erin helps Carm to her feet and they head out to the open area for a dance. They start and dance around in circles to song that is being played. It’s all very simple. As they spin, Erin sees the princess asking her father something. He stands and holds out his hand for the princess and leads her to the dance floor.

“That sneaky little shit.” Erin whispers.

Carm hears it. “What?” She asks. Erin turns them around so Carm can see the princess and the king coming towards them. Carm chuckles. “She’s something.”

Erin nods and continues her dance with Carm, occasionally watching the princess. The song ends and Erin wants off the dance floor. “That’s enough.” Erin says.

“No.” Carm stops her. They lock eyes and Erin questions Carm without words. “One more. You have to dance one more song with me.” Carm tells her.

Erin wants to ask why but knows the answer. Because Ella said so. “Fine.” She mumbles and leads them around the dance floor to another song. When the song ends she expects Carm to let go of her hands but Carm does the opposite. She pulls Erin in close and whispers in her ear. Erin’s eyes widen in surprise. “It’s all a part of the plan.” Carm whispers. “Just go with it. Nod if you understand.” Erin nods. “Good. Listen.” The next song starts. “Now- you are going to leave. You are going to walk off the dance floor with me, but first I’m going to kiss you. Don’t panic. Just on the cheek. Then you’ll escort me back to my seat and then you are free to go. Where are you going, you ask? You are going to go to the princess’s room. Make sure no one sees you. She’ll still be down here for a few minutes then she’ll meet you there.” Carm finishes. She pulls back from Erin and smiles at her before leaning in and pressing a kiss to Erin’s left cheek.

Erin holds out her elbow for Carm to take. She looks around the room. A few of the servants are watching them. Erin escorts Carm off the dance and back to her seat at table. After Carm is seated Erin excuses herself and leaves the Great Hall.


	15. Chapter 15

Erin makes sure no one is around on her travel to Ella’s bedroom. She sits anxiously, awaiting the princess’s arrival. When the door pushes open, Erin’s stands, meeting Ella halfway. “You look so beautiful. You’re always beautiful but just more beautiful tonight.” Erin compliments.

“Thank you.” Ella says. “You don’t look too bad yourself.” Ella jokes.

Erin rolls her eyes at Ella’s silliness. “Did you think of all this yourself?” She asks.

Ella nods. “Pretty much. I did have some help from Carm. As you know. She was a key part in this.”

Erin raises an eyebrow. “Did she have to kiss me?” She whines.

“Yes.” Ella says confidently. “It’s all a part of the plan. This wasn’t just to get us together right here, right now. But, it’s for show. For all the other servants. For my parents. To throw them all off our trail.” Ella explains why everything happened the way it did.

“Is someone on our trail?” Erin asks, slightly concerned.

“No. Not that I know of. But, it can’t hurt, ya know.” Ella says with a shrug.

“Yeah.” Erin nods in agreement. “I understand.”

Ella reaches out and pulls Erin’s body flush against hers. “Good. Now- no more talking. Let’s dance.” Erin nods and holds the princess as they dance around the bedroom. The music from the band floats up through the castle as the party continues on downstairs.

Ella and Erin dance to three songs before Ella presses her lips to Erin’s, sighing at the contact, the connection she feels. She removes Erin’s hat as they sway back and forth in the middle of the room kissing. Ella’s fingers move to unbutton Erin’s pants. She pulls Erin’s shirt up, untucking it from her pants. Erin raises her arms. They break their kiss as Ella pulls the shirt over Erin’s head.

They resume their kiss and Erin’s hands wrap around Ella’s back working at untying the dress. Ella’s hands take their time roaming Erin’s side, distracting her slightly. When Erin works the tie loose she smirks triumphantly into the kiss. She starts to peel the dress slowly from Ella’s body. Ella helps and wiggles out of it.

“Someone’s good with their hands.” Ella husks with a smirk. Erin ducks her head, feeling slightly embarrassed. Ella tilts her chin up with her finger so they are looking at each other again. “It’s a good thing.” She whispers seductively.

Erin smiles, then crashes their lips together again. Hands and fingers roam newly exposed skin. When Erin’s hands work over Ella’s backside the princess squeaks and jumps a little. Her lips popping away from Erin’s. Ella’s eyes roam over Erin, she licks her lips hungrily. “Take me to bed.” She husks.

Erin doesn’t need to be told twice. She grabs Ella under the backside and lifts her up. Ella’s eyes go wide with excitement. She wraps her arms around Erin’s neck as Erin carries her over to the bed. Erin slowly lowers Ella down onto the bed, gently pushing her onto her back. Erin crawls on the bed so that she’s hovering over the princess, her lips attaching to Ella’s pulse point in her neck.

“I love you, my beautiful princess.” Erin whispers into Ella’s ear before biting the earlobe, eliciting a loud moan from the woman beneath her. Erin’s lips work over the column of Ella’s neck, slipping lower and lower, to her collarbone, her chest and beyond.

* * *

 

“Holy shit.” Ella says breathlessly.

“Incredible.” Erin chuckles lightly and curls into Ella’s side, with her head on the princess’s chest. Her fingers trace patterns on Ella’s stomach.

“You know what we should do this time, though.” Ella says after catching her breath.

“What?” Erin asks sleepily.

“Put clothes back on.” Ella tells her.

“I don’t like that idea.” Erin pouts.

Erin kisses the top of Erin’s head. “Hmm.” She hums running her fingers through Erin’s hair. “How about a compromise?” Ella asks.

“What do you propose?” Erin asks, lifting her head to look up at Ella.

“You put a shirt on, at the very least, our undergarments.” Ella suggests. “You don’t want another repeat of the other day when Carm walked in on us.” Ella reminds.

“Is she coming tonight?” Erin asks.

“No.” Ella gives Erin a pointed look.

Erin finally gets what Ella means. “Okay, yeah, you’re right.” She sighs and gets up to find her shirt and underwear. She puts them on quickly before getting back into bed.

Ella laughs. “What?” Erin frowns.

“You. Just you. I love you. You’re so silly sometimes.” Ella says, kissing Erin’s forehead.

“I don’t want to waste a moment with you.” Erin confesses of her quick dressing skills.

“Mmhmm.” Ella agrees, cuddling up to Erin.

Erin kisses Ella soundly. “The last few days have been the best days of my life.” She continues with the confessions. “I love you more than I could have ever imagined loving anybody. I didn’t know this was possible. To feel this way. It’s beyond anything else, any other feeling. Being one hundred percent, totally, completely in love is the best thing in all of creation.” Erin says, wrapping Ella tightly to her chest.

“I agree wholeheartedly.” Ella says, kissing the crook of Erin’s neck. “Let’s get some sleep, my love.” Ella whispers. Erin kisses the top of Ella’s head and hums in agreement.

* * *

 

There’s a knock on the door the next morning.

Erin hears it before Ella. Ella rolls over in bed and buries her face in Erin’s shoulder. “Ella.” Erin whispers, trying to wake her up.

There’s another knock at the door.

Erin thinks it’s probably Carm coming in to get the princess up and ready for her day. “Ella?” Erin shakes Ella’s shoulder. Erin needs to get up and get to work.

“What?” Ella groans, not happy that she is being awakened.

“There’s someone at the door.” Erin tells her.

“It’s just Carm.” Ella mumbles.

There’s a knock for a third time. After the knock the door opens slowly. Erin pulls the covers up to her chin even though she has a shirt on. But the panic takes over as the door opens fully.

“What is going on here?” Yelling.

Erin hides under the blankets, covering herself completely.

“ELLA.” Is yelled.

The princess jumps out of bed, wearing just her undergarments. “Mom.” She squeaks.

“What the hell is going on here?” The Queen demands. She’s mad. Not just mad. Furious. Enraged. “I demand an answer Ella. Why don’t you have any clothes on? And why is there a servant in your bed?” The Queen folds her arms over her chest. “I see you, young man. And even if I didn’t your pants and shoes are on the floor in front of me.” The Queen’s voice booms through the room. Erin shakes, terrified, under the covers.

“For fuck sake, Ella, put something on.” The Queen yells at the girl standing in the middle of the room before her.

Ella goes over to the closet and gets a nightgown from it, pulling it over her head quickly. She looks over to the bed, scared for Erin. “Mom. I can explain.” She starts and comes back to stand in front of her mother.

“You better.” The Queen huffs. “Cuz this looks really bad right now.”

Ella shakes her head. “It’s not.” She says. The Queen narrows her eyes at her daughter. “I- we- it’s not what you think.” Ella stutters awkwardly.

“And what do I think?” The Queen asks.

Ella scrunches up her brow. “I don’t know.” She shrugs. “What do you think?” She asks bravely.

The Queen steps into the room fully, finally. Slamming the door behind herself. “I’ll tell you what I think.” She points a threatening finger in Ella’s face. “I think this bastard-“ The Queen points to the bed. “-this bastard wormed his way up here. I think he charmed his way into getting you to fall into bed with him. I think it is a disgrace that you let him. You should have more dignity than to sleep with a servant. I think this is all his fault.” The Queen voices her opinion.

“It’s not like that.” Ella nearly cries.

“Then, dear, please tell me what’s it’s like. Explain it to me because I don’t see it any other way.” The Queen huffs.

“It’s not Erin’s fault.” Ella whispers, looking down at the floor trying to collect her thoughts so she can voice them properly.

“I should have never agreed to pick him up off the street. Nothing but trouble.” The Queen is exasperated. She can’t believe this is happening. “Well-“ The Queen waits for Ella to explain herself.

“I- I-“ The tears start falling. “I love Erin.” Is all Ella comes up with.

The Queen laughs. Hard. She throws her head back and laughs.

She finishes laughing. “Alright, I’ve heard enough.” She goes to the bed and pulls the blankets back revealing a terrified Erin. “Get up.” The Queen yells at Erin.

Erin does as she’s told out of fear of not knowing what else to do. She tugs at the bottom of her shirt trying to cover her bare legs.

“Now get out. Get your clothes and get out.” The Queen yells, pointing at the door.

Ella is the one to pick up Erin’s pants, shoes, and cap. Erin walks over to the princess, not looking at the Queen or Ella. Her eyes fixed on the floor. Ella holds out the pants and cap for Erin to take with tears streaming down her cheeks. Erin reaches for the pants and takes a look at Ella’s face and her heart breaks. It breaks from the tears and sadness on Ella’s face. The same heartbreak that the princess is experiencing.

“I’m sorry.” Erin says to Ella as she takes her pants and cap.

Ella shakes her head. “It’s not- your fault- Erin.” She cries.

Erin wants to reach out and comfort the princess somehow, but doesn’t dare to in front of the Queen. Ella holds out Erin’s shoes and their fingers brush together in the exchange. “I love y-you.” Ella whisper cries.

“Get out!” The Queen screams, her voice it’s loudest yet.

Erin nods at Ella as they look sadly at each other. ‘I love you too.’ Erin mouths, not able to say it out loud.

That’s when the Queen has had enough. She grabs Erin by the collar of her shirt. “I said, get out.” She drags Erin backwards towards the door. Erin’s legs barely keep her standing. “Get out of here. I never want to see your face again. Get out of this castle and don’t even think about coming back. I will let everyone know that you are not allowed on the property ever again.” The Queen seethes. She opens the door and throws Erin into the hall. “Go.” She says with finality and slams the door shut.

Erin stands there for a second, stunned beyond stunned. She looks around quickly. No one is around. It’s early yet and she wonders briefly if anyone heard the Queen yelling. Erin takes a shaky breath and not knowing what else to do twists her hair up into her cap, puts on her pants, and shoes. She walks down the hall. Hands in her pockets. Head hung low and makes her way down the stairs and out the front doors of the castle. She nods at the guard that stands watch at the door as she goes. Erin descends the large staircase outside. She stops and the bottom, turns around and faces the castle. “Goodbye, my princess.” She whispers into the early morning air.

Erin turns around again and starts the walk away from the castle. It’s so early no one is outside yet. She walks down the long drive, not knowing where she’s going, but knowing she’s not allow here.

* * *

 

The Queen goes over to the bed as soon as she shuts the door. “I can’t believe this right now.” The Queen starts pulling the bedding off of Ella’s bed. “How could you disrespect this family so much?” The Queen strips the bed completely. Throwing the blankets in a pile by the door.

Ella falls to her knees, sobbing.

“I’ll make sure that your father hears all about this. Now get yourself together so you don’t look like a complete mess. In a few days you’ll forget about that stupid boy.” The Queen exits the room with another slam of the door.

Ella crumbles into a ball on the floor, shaking uncontrollably and sobbing.

That’s how Carm finds her. She knocks on the door before she opens it up. “Okay, I waited to come up until the last minute. You two better be dressed.” Carm says as she slips into the room with her hand covering her eyes.

But, she hears the sobs as she enters and drops her hand to see Ella on the floor. “What happened?” Carm rushes over to Ella. She kneels next to the princess. “Where’s Aaron?” Carm looks around the room but doesn’t see Erin. She rubs Ella’s back to try and sooth her. “That bastard.” Carm says angrily, thinking the worst. “That fucker. I’ll kill him the next time I see ‘em.” She grumbles.

Ella shakes her head. “What happened?” Carm asks. “So I know how much to kill him.”

Ella cries and shakes her head. “No.” She gets out in a strangled cry.

“No, what? That bastard has caused you obvious pain. He deserves to be punished.” Carm’s ready to hunt Erin down and kill her for hurting the princess.

“No.” Ella wails. “The Queen-“ Is all she manages to get out.

It hits Carm. “Shit.” She whispers and surveys the room again. The bed is stripped, the bedding in a pile by the door. No signs of Erin anywhere. “Okay. Okay. I’m sorry.” Carm backtracks when she finally realizes what Ella is trying to tell her. “Okay, just calm down.” She rubs Ella’s back. “It’s gonna be okay.”

Ella shakes her head and cries. “Okay. Okay.” Carm says. She’s clearly not saying the right things. She lifts Ella’s head from the floor and puts it in her lap. She rubs at her back to get her to calm down. She’s not sure what to do exactly. Carm has more questions than answers right now and all she wants to do is ask them to Ella but knows that Ella won’t be able to respond being so upset.

Eventually, Ella’s sobs turn into just silent crying. Carm tries again. “What happened?” She asks calmly, gently.

“The Queen- she came in and-“ Ella cries harder again.

“And she found you and Erin in bed?” Carm figures that much. She found them in the same place a few short days ago. Ella nods in confirmation. “And?” Carm asks, wanting more details.

Ella takes a deep breath. “I tried to explain- I tried to defend-“ Ella hiccups. “-but she didn’t- she wouldn’t- she yelled- she threw Erin out of the room.” Ella manages to tell Carm through her hiccups and tears.

“Okay.” Carm gets the basics of what happened. “And then what?” She asks.

Ella finally looks up at Carm with big sad eyes. “She’s gone.” Ella sobs and throws herself at Carm, wrapping her arms around Carm’s neck and sobbing into her shirt.

Carm grunts with the force of Ella crashing into her. She rubs at Ella’s back some more. “The Queen, yeah, she’s not in the room. I-“ Carm tells Ella.

“No.” Ella cries and shakes her head. “Erin.”

Carm wrinkles up her face. “I think you’re confused, Ella.” Carm says gently. Clearly, the princess isn’t making any sense.

“I’m not.” Ella says, pulling back and looking at Carm. “You are.” Ella rubs the snot from under her nose with the back of her hand. “She’s gone.” Ella says again. Her bottom lip trembling.

“Wait. What?” Carm furrows her brow together. “Are you telling me that Aaron isn’t a man?”

Ella nods and sniffles. “And she’s gone.” Ella says, falling back into Carm’s body.

Carm thinks for a few minutes about what Ella just told her. It’s not what she would have expected but she can see it. There were a few clues now that Carm thinks about it. Then something else hits her. “Gone?” Carm asks. “What do you mean, gone?” Carm needs a specific answer from the princess.

“My m- The Queen kicked her out. Out of my room. Out of the castle. Off of the property. And she’s never to come back.” Ella sobs.

“Oh.” Carm mumbles. This is definitely worse than she thought. “Does she know? The Queen? About Aa-Aaron?” Carm’s not sure what to call her groundskeeper friend right now.

“No.” Ella shakes her head. She snaps her head up quickly to look at Carm. “You can’t tell anyone.” She panics. “About Erin.” She says seriously. “You can’t tell anyone.” Ella reiterates.

“I won’t. I promise.” Carm says. “So, her name’s still Aaron?” Carm wonders.

Ella nods. “It’s spelled different.” She says, more composed now then she has been since Carm entered the room. It’s like somebody flipped a switch inside the princess. Now that Carm knows the truth everything is easier to talk about. She wipes away the tears as they fall. “I need to get dressed.” Ella says standing on shaky legs.

“Woah.” Carm holds a hand out to stabilize the princess.

“I need to get dressed.” Ella insists.

“Okay.” Carm helps Ella out of her nightgown and into a dress for the day.

Once she’s clothed, Ella goes over to her dress that’s still on the floor from the night before. She brings the material to her face and takes a deep breath. Carm wonders what the princess is doing but doesn’t interrupt. She spots the pile of blankets by the door again and wonders what happened to get them to where they currently lay, but doesn’t feel like it’s important right now so she doesn’t ask.

Ella smells the dress a few times before holding it out for Carm to take. “Can we somehow make sure that this dress doesn’t get washed?” Ella asks.

Carm gives her a curious look but doesn’t question it. “Sure. I’ll make sure it’s not in with the wash clothes.” Carm takes the dress and sets it over the chair in the corner of the room. She’s a frightened of Ella right now. She’s so calm all of a sudden. She’s still crying but the tears fall silently and Ella wipes them away as soon as they fall. It’s eerie.

“I’m gonna need your help. Will you help me?” Ella asks.

“Of course.” Carm says right away. It is her job after all to help the princess with whatever she needs. While there’s a lot swirling through Carm’s head right now, and she’s slightly confused about all of this, she sees the pain and distress the princess is in and knows she’ll do whatever she needs to help the princess. “I got your back.”

Ella just nods with a faraway look in her eyes. Carm can practically see the wheels turning in the princess’s head. “I need to find my father and talk to him.” Ella says.

“He’s probably down at breakfast right now.” Carm says helpfully.

“Alone.” Ella says cryptically. “I need him to be alone. My- The Queen I’m sure has told him already about what happened. Or what she thinks happened.” Ella says coldly. She’s got a lot to do and time is wasting. She needs to get her father away from the Queen and talk to him as soon as possible.

“I need you to stop the gossip- the rumors.” She tells Carm. She knows Carm can do it. “Get to the King and Queen’s servants before breakfast is finished. Before they can talk to anyone else about what they heard in the dining room between my parents.” Ella instructs.

“I’m on it.” Carm says and starts to leave the room. She opens the door to exit.

“Carm?” Ella says, stopping her. Carm looks back to the princess. She looks deathly terrified. “What if I can’t do this?” Ella mumbles, swallowing thickly, doubt taking over her mind.

“You can and you will. I believe in you.” Carm gives Ella a tight-lipped smile. Ella nods and Carm disappears.

Ella sits down on the edge of the stripped bed. She thinks for a minute or two about her plan and if it’s even possible. It might not be, but she has to try. She sits and waits and thinks. The tears still fall but with less frequency.

Carm comes running back into the room. Ella looks at her expectantly. “I told Andrew and Melissa they couldn’t tell anybody what they heard the King and Queen discussing over breakfast. They questioned me as to why, but I told them it was important. I may have used the words life of death.” Carm says quickly. “The King and Queen were talking when I got there. The Queen looked mad. The King looked confused. Then the Queen asked where you were. I told her you weren’t feeling well and wouldn’t be joining them at breakfast. The King gave me a concerned look and the Queen huffed and mumbled something that I couldn’t hear.” Carm talks so fast that she’s out of breath when she finishes.

“Thank you.” Ella says. “Are they done with breakfast?” Ella asks.

“Nearly. It looked like.”

“Good.” Ella says and rises to her feet. “Come with me.” Ella walks past Carm and out of the room. They go downstairs and into the study. Ella stands at the window with her back to the room. Carm stands next to the door, not sure what to do exactly. They wait.

Ella scans the grounds outside. She knows she isn’t there but she searches for Erin anyway. She needs her father to hurry up. She needs to speak with him. To make him see. To convince him. She needs to explain. She needs to get him to see it her way and not the Queen’s way. Then she needs him to talk to the Queen and make her see. Ella needs his help.

“Shit.” The King mumbles when he opens the door to the study. “Ella.” He says, closing the door.

Ella spins around. “Sit down.” She points to the largest chair in the room. The King’s chair.

“Ella.” He tries to approach her but she holds out a hand to stop him from getting close. “You’re crying.” He tries to protest her declining him.

“Sit. I need to talk with you.” Ella holds her head high even though a few tears are still leaking from her eyes. She just can’t help it. She’s an emotional person.

“Okay.” The King takes a seat in the chair a few feet away from his daughter.

“I’m sure the Queen told you what she _found_ this morning.” Ella starts.

“She did. Ella, I-“

She cuts him off. “I’m talking here and when I’m done you can have your turn to speak.” Ella says rather harshly. He frowns but nods in agreement. “I’m sure it’s not what you wanted to hear. Especially after you brought in all those suitors to marry me. Now you know why I turned them all away. Specifically, the last three. I know the Queen is mad, furious even. She probably went on and on about how I disrespected this family. How I’m a disgrace. Blah. Blah. Blah. I don’t care though. Not that I don’t care about this family cuz I do. Family is one of the most important things to me. And Erin is my family.” Ella stops herself. She’s never said or thought that before but it’s so true.

“You might say it’s wrong. We are not equals. We shouldn’t be together. But, I don’t see what class Erin or I are in. I just see Erin. That’s it. I don’t know what it means for the future.” Ella spins around and looks out the window again, with her back to her father. “I love Erin and that’s all that matters to me. It doesn’t matter that I’m the princess. Erin makes me happy. I feel protected and safe. I feel loved. I am loved. Erin loves me.” Her voice breaks, she pauses, her emotions bubbling up again.

“Ella-“ The King starts.

Ella spins around. “Let me finish.” She pleads. The King nods and gives in to her. “I need your help. I need you to talk to the Queen. I need you to explain this to her. She doesn’t get it. This is what I want. I don’t want any of those guys that you or she want me to marry. I can’t do that. I won’t do that. I won’t be happy if I do. I need you to, somehow, make her see.” Ella takes a deep breath. “She kicked Erin out. Out of my room. Out of the castle. Off the property. I need you to do this for me. It’s all I’m asking. Please, dad-“ Ella’s voice breaks again. “I need Erin back.” She begs, starting to cry harder again.

They eye each other for a moment, the King and the Princess. Ella sighs when he doesn’t say anything now that she’s finished speaking. She’s ready to go to her back up plan even though she didn’t want to do it. “I didn’t want to-“ Ella starts but her father stands up and she stops.

“You didn’t have to convince me.” Her dad says, pulling Ella into his chest for a hug.

Ella’s a little surprised. “Really?”

The King holds Ella away from his body by her shoulders. “Yeah. I knew something was up the other day.” He says. Ella scrunches up her face not understanding what he is saying. “In the carriage.” Ella ducks her head. Busted. “When you were sitting next to him. It was so casual and comfortable. Like it wasn’t the first time you two had sat next to each other.” He tells Ella. The King reaches for her chin and tilts it up so they are looking at each other again.

“I understand.” He smiles. “I’ll talk to your mother. I can’t make any promises but- I will tell you this.” The King pauses. “If my daughter is happy that’s the most important thing.” He smiles and pulls Ella back into a hug.

“Carm, go get Francis.” The King instructs.

“Yes, sir.” Carm runs out of the room.

He addresses his daughter again. “We’ll send out a search party. I’ll reinstate Erin.” He tells her.

Ella hugs her father tight. “Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.” She says.

“I can’t make any promises, but if we find him he can be back at the castle. I don’t know in what capacity. That depends on what your mother says. We’ll figure something out.” He says.

Carm comes running back into the study with Francis in tow. The guard stands at the door and waits for orders. The King turns to him, releasing his daughter. Ella stands next to her father, facing Francis as well. “Gather three of your finest man. We are sending out a search party.” The King informs the guard.

“And I’m going with.” Ella speaks up.

“Me too.” Carm says, backing the princess.

“And my daughter is going with, Francis.” The King looks to Ella. “Search high and low. Don’t overlook any areas. He could be anywhere by now. Hopefully, he didn’t hitch a ride with someone.” The King says more to himself than to Francis. Francis knows how to organize and execute a search party.

“Who are we looking for, sir?” Francis asks.

“Erin.” Ella replies. “Tall. A couple inches taller than me. Slim, brown hair, with a cap. Wearing his nice shirt from the ball last night.” Ella gives a brief description.

“Oh.” Francis frowns. “I saw him leave the castle an hour or two ago.” He says.

“Yes. Francis there’s been a misunderstanding and we need to find him as soon as possible.” The King clarifies.

“Yes, sir.” Francis nods and addresses Ella. “I’ll assemble my men and meet you at the stables in a few minutes, Princess.”

Ella nods. “That sounds great.”

Francis nods to the King and exits the room to start his mission of setting up a search party. Ella turns to her dad and nods at him in thanks. The remaining occupants of the room all file out on their own missions. The King to find this wife, and Ella and Carm to the stables to get their horses.

Carm stops Ella. “We should get you some food first. You didn’t have breakfast.”

Ella shakes her head. “No. Erin doesn’t have food. I’ll be fine. We have to find her.” Ella says urgently. She’s happy that her plan is working and has been set into action. This is all she could have asked for from her father. Ella walks away from Carm. Carm follows dutifully, though she has a hard time keeping up with the princess.

Ella’s tears stopped when her father told her he understood. That was all she needed to move forward. Now she is focused. Not that she wasn’t focused before, but a weight has been lifted by her father’s acceptance and she can truly focus on the task at hand.

“Wait for me.” Carm lags behind.

“Can’t.” Ella yells back but doesn’t slow down. She’s focused and determined.

Carm jogs just to catch up to and match Ella’s pace. It doesn’t take long to get to the stables and Ella starts prepping her horse for their journey. Francis is already there with his men. Ella’s grateful for that, for him, and his dedication to his job. It’s only a few minutes with the stable boys help that the horses are prepped and the six of them are mounting their horses.

Francis makes a plan. Three of them ride in one direction away from the castle and three in the other riding along the main road. Francis goes with Carm and Ella and his three men form the other team and travel the opposite direction from them.

* * *

 

They ride along the road looking for clues. Much to Ella’s frustration, they aren’t finding any as the day wears on. The sun is straight up in the sky when Carm spots something up ahead of them. “Right there.” Carm points to a shiny object on the ground. The group rides up to the shiny object, but it turns out to be a shiny rock once they are upon it.

“Shit.” Ella mumbles, defeated.

They ride on until mid-afternoon, not finding anything that will help them find Erin. “We need to turn around.” Francis tells the girls.

“What? No.” Ella squawks. “We have to find Erin.” She reminds him of their mission.

Francis sighs. “If we don’t turn around now we won’t make it back before dark.” He tells Ella.

“I’m not turning around.” Ella doesn’t want to give up on Erin. She rides on.

“Ella.” Carm rides her horses right next to Ella’s and speaks softly. “We have to turn around. We can’t ride after dark. It’s not safe.” Carm tries to tell her.

“They do it all the time.” Ella argues. Her father’s army rides after dark. But that’s only when they are prepared to.

“The horses need food. We need food.” Carm says.

“She’s right.” Francis chimes in from Ella’s other side.

Ella glares over at him and he looks away from her. “Just a little further.” She pleads desperately.

“Okay.” Francis sighs, giving in.

They ride a little further but come up with nothing. Ella slumps in her saddle. Carm sees the defeat in Ella. “Maybe the other group found Erin.” Carm tries to cheer her up.

“Maybe.” Ella says defeated.

They ride back to the castle in silence. They don’t find anything that would indicate any sign of Erin. They three return just after dark. Francis’s men have already returned and are waiting for them at the stables.

“Any luck boys?” Francis shouts as he approaches on his horse. The three guards all shake their heads.

“Shit.” Ella mumbles. She hops off of her horse, sore from riding all day. She’s never ridden a horse for that long of a period. Ella hands the horse off to a stable boy and marches up to the castle. Carm does the same and runs after Ella.

Carm manages to get Ella to eat something before she goes to find her father. “Did you talk to the Queen?” Ella asks bluntly when she finds the King in the library. She stands before him. He turns to her with a book in his hands.

“How did the search go?” He asks instead of answering her question. But he knows that Ella wouldn’t be in his presence if they had found Erin.

“Nothing.” Ella grunts. “Did you talk to the Queen?” She asks again.

King William sighs. “Yes, I talked to your mother.” He doesn’t like this new thing Ella is doing where she uses the word Queen instead or mom or mother but he understands why she’s doing it.

“And?” Ella wants to know what she has to deal with.

“She doesn’t understand.” The King says.

“What doesn’t say understand? Love. It’s not complicated.” Ella huffs, frustrated.

“To her, it is. She doesn’t understand why you would choose a servant- her words not mine- over a prince or someone of royal status.” The King tells his daughter what his wife said.

“It’s not a choice. Who you fall in love with. It’s not a choice.” Ella sighs and walks away.

“Ella?” The King stops her from leaving. He has more to tell her. “When you find Aaron, he is no longer banished from the castle but we will need to set some new rules.” He informs her.

“If.” She says and starts to walk off.

“What?” The King asks.

“If- we find Erin.” Ella’s voice fades as she exits the library.

She climbs the stairs and goes to her room. Carm follows Ella’s every move. The princess has Carm help her change into her nightgown as soon as they get to her bedroom. Afterwards, Ella goes over to the chair where the dress from the night before still sits. She brings it to her nose, inhaling the scent. Ella wonders if she’ll ever smell that smell again in person.

“We’ll find her.” Carm encourages when she sees Ella’s strange, desperate behavior. Ella nods, setting the dress back on the chair and moving to the bed. “Do you want me to go get you some tea?” Carm asks, thinking it will help calm the princess and help her to sleep.

“Don’t bother. I won’t drink it.” Ella turns on her side so that her back is to Carm. She feels too many emotions at once. “Carm?” Ella asks hoping Carm is still there.

Carm was busy tidying up the room. “Yes.”

“Could you sit with me until I fall asleep?” She asks timidly.

“Sure thing, Ella.” Carm sits on the edge of the bed. A few minutes pass and Carm hears Ella sniffling. She puts a hand on Ella’s arm and rubs up and down gently. The princess’s body shakes with a sob. She cries and cries, eventually crying herself to sleep. Carm sighs sadly when she knows Ella is asleep. She stands looking over the broken woman lying on the bed not being able to do much about it. Carm finishes tidying up and leaves Ella to sleep.


	16. Chapter 16

Ella wakes up early the next day with a groan. Her head hurts. She knows it’s from all the crying she did the day before. She gets out of bed with her purpose renewed. Ella’s up early. She goes over to the window and the sun is just rising. Ella look out, knowing that Erin is out there somewhere.

She changes out of nightgown into an old dress, not bothering to wait for Carm to help with it. She goes back to stand at the window and think until Carm comes in.

“Tie me up.” Ella says when she hears the door open and close.

“Okay.” Carm walks over to the window, where the princess stands, and ties the back of Ella’s dress up tight. Carm pats Ella on the shoulder when she’s finished.

“Alright, let’s go.” Ella says, determined. She spins around and walks out of the room. Carm follows Ella down to breakfast. They are the first one there. No surprise.

Ella’s halfway through her meal when her father comes into the dining room. “Good morning, Ella.” The King smiles. “Carm.” He nods at Ella’s servant. Carm nods back. The King sits across from his daughter.

“Morning.” Ella mumbles into her breakfast bowl. She eats fast.

“Not much for talking this morning?” The King chuckles.

Ella finally looks up from her food and connects eyes with her father. “Sorry. I have a lot on my mind.” She tells him honestly.

He sighs. “I understand.” King William takes a bite from his toast.

“Thank you.” Ella goes back to eating. She finishes her toast and tea and pushes away from the table.

“Good luck.” The King says, getting his daughter’s attention again.

Ella gives him a tight-lipped smile and a nod. She appreciates his encouraging words, his support. Ella goes to leave, but the dining room door opens, and the Queen walks in. The Queen and Ella lock eyes. Ella scowling at the Queen and the Queen staring straight through her daughter. When the Queen doesn’t say anything, that’s all Ella needs to be gone. She steps past the Queen and pushes out the door.

“Good morning.” Carm says to the Queen as she passes. She doesn’t want to be on the Queen’s bad side too. She’ll do just about anything to have the Queen liking her still.

The King just shakes his head at the exchange.

Carm and the princess head out to the stables. Francis and his men are there already with the horses prepared and ready to go. “We’re ready to go.” Francis tells the princess.

“Great. Let’s go.” Ella walks over to her horse. Carm helps her get atop before mounting her own horse.

“I was thinking we would do things a little differently today.” Francis says. “We will ride as one group. More eyes over the area.”

Ella nods. She’s fine with the plan. She trusts Francis. He knows what he’s doing. “Okay. Do you have a plan of where to search?” She asks.

“No ma’am. I just thought we’d pick up where we left off yesterday.” Francis tells her, getting on his horse.

“That’s not a bad idea. But, I have another idea. Erin doesn’t know this are well. He’s not from around here. Does know the market though. I thought it would be best to start there. If we don’t find anything we can go back to your plan.” Ella tells Francis.

“That’s a really good plan, Princess. That’s what we’ll do.” Francis tells his men. “Let’s move out.”

They ride as quickly as possible to the markets. The group slows when they approach the market. They ride slowly through the marketplace. The townspeople part quickly when they see the King’s horses, along with the princess, coming through.

Ella keeps her eyes peeled for Erin or any sign that Erin had been at the market. They ride through the entire market but unfortunately don’t find anything.

The search party regroups. “Okay.” Francis says. “The search here has turned up empty.”

Ella sighs and rubs her hands over her face.

“We’ll find Erin.” Carm reaches over and pats Ella on the leg.

Ella snaps. “When? Where?” She yells at Carm.

“Woah.” Carm holds her hands in the air.

“We’ll find him.” Francis says. “Let’s keep moving.” He waves them onward.

They ride past the markets. It opens up into country land again. They ride until they come across the next town. Some little kids gather in the street when they see the search party approaching.

“Princess. Princess.” They shout.

Ella tries to give them a smile but it falters. She waves to the kids though.

“Princess. Princess. Wait.” A little girl yells.

Ella turns to her right and sees the girl. She stops her horse. It’s the girl, Margaret, that she met at the markets. She smiles down at the girl. Ella hops off her horse.

All the other kids ohh and ahh.

“What are you doing?” Francis questions.

“Just let her.” Carm tells Francis when she recognizes the little girl.

“Hello, Princess.” Margaret greets enthusiastically.

“Hi, Margaret.” Ella approaches the little girl.

“What are you doing in my town, Princess?” Margaret asks.

Ella crouches down in front of the girl. “I’m looking for someone. Maybe you can help me?” Ella asks. The little girl’s eyes get wide and she nods. “You remember when you saw me at the markets?” She asks. Margaret nods again. “Remember my friend that I introduced you to. The one that works for me?” Ella asks.

“Yeah. The one that stopped me.” Margaret says shyly.

“Yeah. That one.” Ella chuckles. “Well, my friend Erin is missing.” Ella tells the girl. “Have you seen him?” She asks.

The little girl thinks, biting her bottom lip. She shakes her head. “No.” Margaret says softly.

Ella figured as much. “Okay. Thank you for your help.” Ella puts a hand on the girl’s shoulder. “It was nice to see you again.” Ella tells her.

“You too, Princess.” Margaret says.

Ella mounts her horse again. “If you see Erin, you let me know, okay?” She says to Margaret.

“Okay, Princess.” Margaret yells up to Ella.

Ella leads the search party on. The kids all cheer as the ride out of town.

* * *

 

“Princess.” Francis pulls his horse up next to Ella’s in the mid-afternoon. “I know you’re not gonna want to hear this but we have to turn back. We can make a loop and search a different area on the way back to the castle but we have to do that now.” Francis tells her.

Ella closes her eyes, takes a deep breath. “Okay.” She says.

They make their way back to the castle, not finding Erin or any signs Erin had been in the area they searched. They ride into the stables and Ella hops off of her horse with a grunt. She grabs at her sore back but doesn’t complain about it.

“Carm, I’ll be in in a minute. Get my dinner ready.” Ella bosses. Carm nods and hands her horse off to the stable boy. “Francis.” Ella calls out to the head guard.

“Yes, Princess.” Francis comes over to Ella.

“We haven’t found anything. I honestly don’t think Erin is around here. I think I might know where Erin went. Tomorrow we will go there.” Ella tells him. “Talk to my father. Ask him where he picked up Erin.” Ella tells Francis. Francis nods. “That’s where we will go tomorrow.” Ella pats him on the arm. “Good job today, Francis. Have a good night.” Ella says to him.

“Goodnight, Princess.” Francis nods.

Ella walks into the castle, into the dining room. Her food is on the table already. Her father is at his place still when she gets there.

“Hello, Ella.” The King says.

“Hi, dad.” Ella mumbles, starting in on her food. Starving from only having a sandwich since breakfast. “Francis will be coming to see you tonight.” She tells him.

He doesn’t ask about Ella’s search today, because if she had found Erin, she wouldn’t be here right now. “Why?” The King asks instead.

“Tell him where you found Erin. What little village it was. Tell him what street. In front of what shop. All the details you can remember.” Ella tells him. “That’s where we’re going tomorrow. I have a theory.” She says, drinking her water.

“That’s a very good idea, darling. You are very smart. You’ll make a great leader one day.” The King says with a proud smile.

Ella pauses. Her father thinks she’ll make a good leader. “Thank you, dad.” She says sincerely. “I would like to spend a little more time with you but I’m exhausted.” She yawns.

The King smiles. “It’s fine. Get some rest. You’ve got a long day ahead of you tomorrow.” He tells her. “Goodnight, darling.”

Ella smiles and nods. “Thanks. Goodnight.” She replies.

She and Carm head upstairs. Carm helps Ella change in silence. Ella climbs into bed and Carm pours the tea. Ella drinks her tea sitting up in bed and Carm pulls the chair over and sit next to the bed.

“Erin used to sit there.” Ella says and sips her tea.

“Oh.” Carm mumbles.

“Yeah.” Ella chuckles darkly.

“We’ll find him- I mean- sorry-“ Carm ducks her head at the error. It’s not that Carm forgot, it’s just takes time to rearrange the brain.

“It’s alright, Carm.” Ella says. “And I hope you’re right. I hope a lot of things right now. I hope that wherever Erin is, she’s safe. I hope she’s warm and comfortable. I hope she has food to eat. I hope that she is- okay.” Ella looks off into the distance.

Carm pats Ella’s leg to try and comfort her. “We’ll find her.” Carm says.

“I hope so.” Ella smiles, tight-lipped. “I don’t know what I’m gonna do if we don’t.” Ella says. “I have this plan-“ She mumbles. “I have this plan-“ She says again but doesn’t explain further.

“Okay.” Carm says. “Okay.”

Ella finishes her tea and hands the cup to Carm. “I’ll see you in the morning, Carm. Bright and early, okay? We have a long day ahead of us.” Ella says.

Carm collects the tea tray and leaves. “Goodnight, Ella. Try and get some sleep.” Carm advises.

* * *

 

The search party meets at the stables again in the morning. “Okay, boys. Today’s the day.” Francis says positively. “We’ve got a long ride ahead of us. Let’s get going.” The group rides off following Francis off and away from the castle property.

They ride all morning. Ella’s never been to this part of the kingdom. She’s never been this far from the castle. So far north. It’s colder. Cloudier. Drearier. They stop to eat a sandwich and feed the horses.

“How much further?” Ella asks Francis. It’s lunchtime and they’re not at the village yet.

“Not long. A couple of miles.” Francis tells her.

“Good. Do you know where to go?” Ella asks anxiously.

“Yes, the King was very through with his directions.”

“Great.” Ella nods. “As soon as the horses are ready, we’ll go.

They ride into the village. There aren’t many people on the main road as they ride down it.

“Princess.” Francis calls. Ella leads her horse in his direction so they’re side by side. “We are coming up on the shop where the King first spotted Aaron.” Francis tells Ella.

“Okay.” Ella says, looking around and taking in the sights of the small village.

“Right there. The second shop on the left.” Francis points to the shop. Ella looks in that direction. Half of her thinks she’s gonna find Erin right there. But, the reality is that no one is there. Ella’s whole demeanor changes. She was so hopefully.

“Hey, we’ll search the village high and low. If Aaron’s here, we’ll find him.” Francis says. He’s confident that they will find something today. From what he gathered from the King, this is the village that Aaron lived in before he came to the castle.

“Split up.” Francis tells his men. “Two groups. I’ll go with the ladies.” He says. “You take the shops and buildings on the right side of the street and we’ll take the ones on the left. Don’t skip a single building. Ask everyone you see if they’ve seen Aaron.” Francis orders.

“Yes, sir.” The men say in unison.

They all ride over to the side of the street and tie their horses to a post. Ella slowly walks over to the shop front that Francis pointed out. She stands in front of it and imagines Erin sitting on the ground, trying to stay warm in the damp weather.

Carm comes up behind Ella and puts a hand on her shoulder. Ella jumps, startled. “Sorry.” Carm mumbles.

Ella shakes it off. “Come on.” Ella walks down the cobblestone street. “We can start on the end of the street and go one by one to every building and house and shop.” Ella calls Carm and Francis to follow her.

They go through the buildings, knocking on doors, asking if anyone has seen a person with Erin’s description. No one seems to have any information for them. There are two shops remaining on the left side of the road that they haven’t checked yet. Ella hangs her head discouraged with coming up empty so far. Nobody seems to know anything and it’s not looking very good. Ella starts to think that maybe she was wrong. That Erin didn’t return to the village she grew up in.

They go into a shoemaker’s shop. “Good afternoon, sir.” Francis says to the man behind the counter.

“Oh, what can I do for the King’s men?” The shop owner seems surprised to see them. “And women?” He adds.

“Sir, this is Princess Ella.” Francis introduces. Ella smiles kindly. “And we are looking for someone.” The man behind the counter nods. “A man. Slim, fairly tall, only a little shorter than I. Possibly wearing a cap, brown pants, and a button down shirt. Have you seen someone with this description?” Francis asks.

The shop owner thinks on it. Ella gets impatient. “Brown eyes, brown hair, strong.” She adds to the description Francis gave.

“I may have seen someone similar to that description the other day walking down the main road.” The shop owner says.

Ella perks up a little bit. Carm puts a hands on Ella’s shoulders from behind, holding her in place.

“But, like I said, that was two days ago. Late in the day too.” The shop owner tells them.

Francis and Ella share a look. It’s the first lead they’ve gotten during their search. “Thank you, sir. You’ve been very helpful.” Francis says. They exit the shop. “One more and then we’ll do some looking around.” Francis tells Ella and Carm.

“One more.” Ella holds her breath as they enter the next building. Francis starts talking with a woman. Ella zones out, thinking about the possibility that Erin was here two days before.

“Francis. Francis.” The yells come from outside. It’s one of Francis’s men. “Francis, hurry.”

Francis, Ella, and Carm all run outside. “What is it, David?” Francis asks, running over to him. “Did you find something?” He asks eagerly.

“I believe so.” David nods.

“Where?” Francis asks.

“If you’ll follow me.” David leads Francis, Carm, and Ella across the road and into a pub. “We talked to the barkeep.” David says to Francis.

“Okay.” Francis pushes past David. “Sir.” He nearly shouts at the barkeep. Francis approaches the bar where his two men stand with the owner of the establishment. “Tell me what you told my men.” Francis tells the barkeep.

Ella and Carm come up and stand next to Francis. All listening intently. “I told them I saw a guy fitting their description yesterday. He came in here asking me if I knew of anyone that needed help. I told him I was sorry but I didn’t.” The barkeep explains.

“Thank you, sir.” Francis says with a nod.

“Sure. Why are you looking for him? Did he do something wrong? Is he a criminal?” The barkeep asks.

“No!” Ella nearly yells. Everyone’s eyes land on her. “No.” She says quieter. “He didn’t do anything wrong.” Ella wants to make sure everyone knows that.

“Okay.” The barkeep nods.

“How did he look?” Ella asks. She needs to know more details.

The barkeep brings his hand to his chin, rubbing it, thinking. “Desperate for work.” He says.

It’s not the answer she wanted. It’s not the answer to the question she asked. Carm rests a hand on Ella’s shoulder as the princess’s body sags. “Okay. Thanks.” Ella mumbles and turns to leave.

The search party regroups outside the pub. The mid-afternoon is soggy and cool. It’s not summer anymore. It’s colder now than when the King had found Erin. Ella doesn’t like it.

“Alright, I feel good about the leads that we have.” Francis addresses them. “We’ve hit up the main road. Now it’s time to canvas the back roads. We’ll go as one group. It’s probably gonna be more houses than businesses. We’ll only knock on doors if we have a reason to. I’ll take the lead.” Francis says. Nobody has any objections. Not even Ella.

They walk around the side of the pub and around to the backside. There is a row of small houses that run parallel along the back of the businesses of the main road. The houses aren’t packed tight together like the businesses are though. They march down the row. Nothing seems out of place to any of them. Nothing that would lead to finding Erin. There aren’t any clues as they walk down the row.

“This is stupid.” Ella mutters, frustrated.

“Hey.” Francis stops her, the group. “This- what we’re doing- is not stupid.” Francis looks Ella right in the eyes. “We have two sightings in the last two days. We need to keep looking. For anything. I have a feeling-“ He trails off. “We need to keep searching.” He tells the whole group. “Let’s keep mov-“

“Stop. Stop.” A woman yells from a few houses down. “Help. Someone help. Stop him.” The woman keeps yelling.

Francis takes off in a sprint. The rest of the group follows behind.

The woman comes out of her front door. “Help.” She says as Francis approaches.

“What’s wrong ma’am?” He asks the grey haired woman.

The woman has a ladle in her right hand. “A man just tried to steal my bread. I had it sitting in the window to cool and a man walked by and tried to take it. I was standing right there though. I yelled and hit his hand with my ladle. He ran off.” She explains.

“Which way did he go?” Francis asks, ready to help this old woman out. It occurs to Francis that the almost bread snatcher could be the man they are looking for.

“I don’t know. I was too concerned with the bread to pay attention to that.” The woman tells Francis.

“Can you show us which window it was?” Francis asks.

“Sure. Come in.” The woman waves him in.

Francis turns to David. “Go around the side of the house and see if you can find something.” Francis orders. David nods. Francis steps into the house.

The rest of the search party rounds the side of the house. “Who would steal from a little old lady?” One of Francis’s men asks.

“You don’t know what happened.” David scolds. He doesn’t want to jump to judgement. “Let’s see if we can find something.” They walk the side of the house looking for evidence.

“David.” Francis yells. They round the back corner and Francis has his head sticking out the window on the back of the house. “David, here.” Francis points down at the ground below the window.

David hurries over and bends down. When he does, Ella sees why. She pushes Carm out of the way and crouches down next to David.

“What is it?” Carm asks.

“It’s someone’s cap.” David replies.

“It’s Erin’s cap.” Ella corrects. She’s so overcome that tears start in her eyes.

“How do you know?” David asks her.

Ella turns to look at him. “I know.” She says with finality.

David gulps and nods. “Okay.” He looks away from her and picks the cap up.

“Hey.” Ella shouts, snatching the cap from David’s hand.

“What’s happening?” The old lady questions from the open window.

Francis is no longer there. He comes running around the back corner of the house. “Let’s go.” Francis orders his men. They start walking along the back sides of the houses.

Ella stands next to Carm. “She’s here.” She whispers. Ella has a look of disbelief on her face.

“You were right, Princess.” Carm smiles wide.

Ella nods. She smiles for the first time all day. A real smile, not a forced or fake one. “I was.” She whispers.

“Let’s go ladies.” Francis yells back to them. He and his men are looking around the next few houses in the row. “Don’t leave any nook or cranny unsearched.” Francis says.

“What about my bread?” The old lady yells to them.

“We’ll find who tried to take your bread, ma’am.” Carm tells the lady. The older woman gives Carm a look of doubt. Carm pays no attention to it. She and Ella hurry after Francis and his men. Ella walks with Erin’s cap tightly in her grip.

Francis instructs his men. “You three go to the next house. Look everywhere.” He tells them. “I got this one.” Francis says about the house in front of him. He starts to look around. Ella and Carm come to help him.

There’s a broken down looking addition on the back side of the house. It looks unused. Outside it is a pile of firewood for burning purposes. Francis looks through and around the wood pile but comes up empty. The door on the addition is partially open. Francis tries to peek inside but can’t get a good enough look to say there’s nothing there. “Stay here.” He whispers to Ella and Carm.

They look around for clues as Francis slowly pulls the door open further. He steps inside the addition. It’s not well lit. The afternoon light coming in through the door is all that guides him. He squints so his eyes will adjust to the light. There’s more wood piled inside the addition. Francis looks over the waist high pile to the other side. “Fuck.” He whispers. Francis shakes his head. He backs away from the pile.

“Ella.” He calls for the princess when he gets to the door. “Come in here.”

“What is it?” Ella asks, alert. She doesn’t know why he would call her over. Did he find something? It scares her that he used her name. She goes to the door and sticks her head in.

“Look in that corner.” Francis points over the wood pile.

Ella steps into the addition and lets her eyes adjust before moving closer. She stands on her toes to peer over the pile. “Holy shit.” Ella says under her breath

As soon as Francis hears Ella’s words and steps out of the building to go find his men.

Ella scrambles. Her arms and legs don’t seem to be working properly. “Fuck it.” She starts climbing over the wood pile, knocking wood down, and slipping as she goes. She hears her dress rip as it gets caught on something but she doesn’t care. She makes it to the top of the wood pile and jumps down onto the other side.

“Come here.” She says. “Look at me.” Ella kneels down in the dirt, not caring that her dress is pretty much destroyed. “Erin, look at me.” She says, her hands coming up to cup Erin’s face.

Erin’s eyes are barely open. “Hey.” Ella whispers and pats her cheek gently. “Stay with me.” Ella tells Erin. “Carm.” Ella yells.

Carm steps into the building. “Shit.” She mumbles when she sees them on the other side of the wood pile.

“Go get the blanket I carry on my horse. Bring water too. Do we have any food left?” Ella asks.

“No.” Carm shakes her head.

“Tell Francis and his boys to find some food. Buy someone’s food from them if they have to.” Ella says authoritatively. “Go.” She yells when Carm stands there staring.

Ella turns back to Erin after Carm leaves. “Oh, Erin.” She whispers pulling Erin’s cold body to her chest.

Erin isn’t even shivering anymore. Her lips are blue. Her hands are ice cold. The shirt she has on isn’t much to protect from the cool, damp weather. Erin huddles into Ella’s warm arms. “Ella?” She whispers.

“I’m here.” Ella rubs her hands up and down Erin’s back, trying to warm her. “I’m here. It’s okay. Don’t worry. You’re gonna be okay.” Ella sits on the ground with Erin until Carm returns a few minutes later.

She throws the blanket at Ella. Ella immediately wraps Erin in it. Carm climbs through the mess of a wood pile, more gracefully than Ella, and hands the water to Ella.

“Here, Erin. I need you to drink this.” Ella opens the canteen. Erin doesn’t make an attempt to move. “Carm?” Ella asks for help. Carm kneels next to them and tilts Erin’s head back and Ella pours some water on Erin’s lips, opening her mouth with one hand and pouring the water with the other. Erin swallows a few gulps.

“Do you think you can get up?” Ella asks after the water. She looks into Erin’s eyes but it’s just a fuzzy haze staring back at her. Ella shakes her head. “Where’s Francis?” She asks Carm.

“Looking for foo-“ Carm starts.

“You called?” Francis pokes his head into the building.

“We have to get he- him out of here. Where are you men?” Ella asks.

“They’re right her.” Francis waves them over. “David.” He enters the building with David. “Let’s get Aaron out of here and over to the pub and start the warming process.” Francis instructs.

“It’s gonna be okay.” Ella whisper to Erin, whether she hears her or not, Ella doesn’t know. Erin is in a fog, confused, barely conscious. Her body is starting to shut down. Ella presses a kiss to Erin’s temple as Francis and David come over.

Francis gets under one of Erin’s arm and David under the other. “Get some of this wood out of the way.” Francis orders his remain two men. They move and kick the logs until David and Francis can step over the remaining chunks with ease.

They drag Erin around to the front of the house and down the street. Erin groans out a few times. Nothing intelligible though. Her feet drag limply in the dirt as they go. Ella and Carm hurry behind the men with the water and blanket.

They enter the pub through a rear entrance. “Right here.” Francis says. Ella enters the pub to see they are in a little room separate from the pub itself. There is a cot in the corner. Francis and David lay Erin on it. Erin groans, her eyes closing completely. Ella covers her with the blanket. “Where’s the barkeep?” Francis asks.

“I’ll go look.” David says. “Come on boys.” He takes the two men with him into the pub.

“The barkeep is getting some towels and more blankets.” Francis tells Ella and Carm.

“Okay. Good.” Ella says looking around. The room is small, but it’s warm and has a place for Erin to lay down.

“We need to warm the body slowly.” Francis tells Ella. “We will put two or three blankets on and add more if necessary. No food for now. Just warmth. I’ve seen this a number of times. The first few hours are the most important. He should come around though. And when he can sit up in bed, he can eat.” Francis informs Ella.

“I spoke with the barkeep. We will stay here tonight. The guys and I will sleep on the tables in the bar after close. I’m assuming you will be in here?” Francis asks. Ella nods, her eyes never leaving Erin’s body. “Okay. Carm, you can sleep wherever you feel most comfortable.” Francis addresses Carm. Carm just nods. She’s not worried about that right now. “And the barkeep will make sure we are all well feed. He’s being very understanding.” Francis finishes.

“Okay. Thank you, Francis.” Ella says.

David pops in with the barkeep. “Oh my.” The barkeep says when he sees Erin’s unconscious body on the cot. He holds out the extra blankets. Francis takes them and hands one to Ella. She unfolds it and puts it over Erin. Francis does the same with another. “I’ll have my wife start some food for your group.” The barkeep says.

“What’s your name, sir? Francis asks the barkeep.

“Bartholomew.”

“Thank you, Bartholomew. For everything. We will pay you handsomely.” Francis shakes the man’s hand. “Thank you.”

Bartholomew nods and leaves the little room.

“David, you and the boys take care of the horses before dinner. Make sure they are all tied up and make sure you feed them. I don’t know how much food we have left but see if you can find some at that little shop on the other end of the main road. You saw it when we got here?” Francis asks.

“I did. I’ll make sure everything is taken care of.” David says.

“Good man. I’ll be right here if you need anything.” Francis tells his man.

“Okay.” David says and exits.

“Carm?” Francis asks. She looks over to him. “Could you go into the pub and get two chairs?” He asks.

“Yeah, sure.” Carm nods. She’ll do anything she can do to help. Carm leaves to get the chairs.

Ella kneels on the floor next to the cot Erin is laying on. Her hand slipping under the blankets to find Erin’s. It’s still so cold. Ella squeezes it. “I’m not going anywhere.” She says quietly. Ella rubs her thumb back and forth over the back of Erin’s hand.

Francis isn’t sure if the words are meant for him or Aaron. Maybe both. Francis sets a hand on Ella’s shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze.

Ella holds vigil by Erin’s bedside into the night. Carm brings Ella dinner and goes back into the pub to have her own. Ella hardly touches her dinner. Just eating a few bites of soup, a piece of toast, and drinking the tea.

Francis puts a forth blanket over Erin’s body when Ella breaks to eat. He checks Erin’s pulse and feels the skin of her face, hands, and feet to check for warmth. Erin hasn’t opened her eyes since they got her on the cot. Her breathing is light and shallow.

Ella returns to her spot next to the cot and Francis takes the time to go into the pub to eat. “If you need me-“

“I know.” Ella cuts him off. She sits alone with Erin.

“Erin.” She places her hand over Erin’s heart. “I don’t know if you can hear me or not. I hope somehow you can. I’m so happy that we found you. So very happy. But I’m so scared right now. I know I might not look like it because I’m trying to hold it together, stay composed. But, I am. It’s so scary seeing you like this.” Ella thumbs over Erin’s cheek. It’s warmer than it was when they first found Erin. “I love you so much.” Ella whispers, laying her forehead against Erin’s shoulder. She lets out a long exasperated sigh.

Francis returns to see Ella in a similar position to when he left. Her face down, forehead on Erin shoulder. “Princess?” He tries to get her attention. He doesn’t get a response. “Ella?” He tries again, this time putting a hand on Ella’s shoulder, squeezing.

“Huh?” Ella’s head pops up and she looks around. “What’s happening?” She mumbles.

“Nothing.” Francis can’t help the chuckle that comes out at seeing Ella so confused and flustered. “You fell asleep.” He supplies

“I did not.” Ella protests, running the back of her hand across her mouth wiping a little drool away.

“Okay.” Francis smiles and takes a seat. “How’s our patient?” He asks.

“Good.” Ella looks over Erin’s body. “I think.” She really has no idea. Erin could be good or bad and she wouldn’t know the difference. All Ella knows is that Erin isn’t as cold as she was.

Francis nods, knowing that there is nothing more they can do. It’s all up to Erin and her body on whether she makes a recovery or not. Ella puts her hand under the blanket again, holding Erin’s hand again. She squeezes the hand while watching Erin’s face looking for any reaction. She doesn’t see one. Ella sighs, helpless.

“Be patient.” Francis says to her.

Ella switches to sit on the floor, eventually, instead of being on her knees. She rests the side of her face on her left arm that’s holding Erin’s hand and watches Erin. She watches and watches into the night. Erin’s hand warms up to match the temperature of Ella’s hand as the hours pass. That encourages Ella so much. Erin’s lips aren’t blue anymore, either. Francis has long since fallen asleep in his chair as Ella keeps a careful watch of their patient.

Maybe it’s the late hour, or the lack of sleep, or pure exhaustion, but Ella doesn’t hear the little cough at first. It’s more of a grunt than a cough. Ella does, however, feel Erin’s body shake with the cough.

“Erin.” Ella sits up on her knees. Kneeling next to the cot by Erin’s face. She squeezes Erin’s hand again. This time there’s a weak squeeze back. “Holy shit.” She whispers.

“Erin?” Ella hovers her face over Erin’s. “Can you hear me?” She asks. Erin coughs more, louder. “Erin?” Ella says louder.

Erin’s eyes open slowly. She blinks a few times in the dim light of the room.

“Erin.” Ella nearly cheers. It wakes Francis.

“What’s going on?” He mumbles sleepily.

“Erin’s awake.” Ella looks over her shoulder at him.

“That’s great.” Francis smiles.

Ella focuses back on Erin and smiles.

“Where- am I?” Erin struggles to say, coughing as she does so.

“We’re in the back of a pub.” Ella tells her.

Erin looks around the room, confused. “How’d I get here?” She squints her eyes at Ella. Her voice raspy and dry.

“Francis-“ Ella points to Francis. “-and David brought you here.” Ella tells her.

Erin furrows her brow and looks around the foreign room. She doesn’t recognize Francis. Everything is a bit blurry and she’s confused. Her memory is blank. She can’t figure out what happened to get her to where she is.

“Erin?” Ella eyes Erin cautiously. “Do you know who I am?” Ella asks fearfully. Erin seems really out of it to her.

Erin laughs. Then coughs. “Yes.” She coughs. “I might- be confused- but there’s no way- I wouldn’t know- you.” Erin says, catching her breath after her coughing fit.

Ella exhales loudly, relieved. Erin squeezes Ella’s hand and smiles at her. Ella smile back. “Can I have some water?” Erin asks. Her throat is all scratchy and it will help with the coughing. Ella gets the water and helps Erin take a couple sips.

“Now that you’re awake-“ Francis pauses when both Ella and Erin look to him. “-I- uh-“ Francis stutters. “-if you can sit up in bed you can have something to eat.” He says. “I should probably ask how you’re feeling first.” Francis says with a smirk. He’s getting ahead of himself.

“How do you feel?” Ella asks, thinking about it for the first time since Erin has awoken. She was just so happy that Erin was awake at first that nothing else mattered.

Erin chuckles. “I heard the question.” She says to Ella.

“Sorry.” Ella ducks her head.

“Don’t be, you’re concerned. I can see it all over your face.” Erin smiles softly. “But, I feel okay. I can’t feel my toes though.” Erin wiggles her toes under all the blankets. “I feel weak. Even laying down.” Erin tells them.

“That’s as expected.” Francis nods. “When was the last time you ate?” He asks.

Erin thinks hard. Her memory is a little hazy but she does remember when she last ate. “Yesterday morning.” Erin answers the question.

“Oh, Erin.” Ella sighs sadly.

“You’re warmer though?” Francis asks.

“Yeah.” Erin replies with a nod of her head.

“Okay. Do you want some food?” Francis asks.

Erin nods again. “I don’t think I’m strong enough to sit up.” She tells him.

“Food might help.” Ella looks to Francis.

Francis nods. “I’ll go get something.” He says and leaves the room.

Ella leans over Erin and smiles down at her. “Hi.” Ella whispers.

“Hey.” Erin says as quietly.

Ella leans in and kisses Erin. They both sigh. “I’m never letting you out of my sight again.” Ella says. Erin chuckles. “I’m serious.” Ella says.

“That’s not possible.” Erin tells her.

Ella pouts. “What does that mean? You won’t come back to the castle with me?” She says sadly, tucking into herself.

“What?” Erin asks. “No.” Ella sniffles, trying not to cry. If Erin doesn’t come back to the castle she doesn’t know what she’s going to do. Erin raises her hand slowly and lifts Ella’s chin. “I love you.” Erin says. “But I’m not allowed at the castle.” She reminds Ella.

Ella fights a smile. “You are.” She says.

Erin raises an eyebrow. “Sounds like we have a lot to talk about.” Erin smiles back.

“Yeah we do. I can fill you in on everything.” Ella says. She’s just happy she found Erin and she is with her right now. The rest can wait.

“Not right now.” Erin pulls at Ella’s hand in hers. “Get up here.” She says.

“What? No.” Ella furrows her brow at Erin.

“You won’t hurt me. Get in this bed right now?” Erin demands.

Ella’s eyes go wide, but she smirks. “Erin.” She whines.

“Come on.” Erin coaxes.

Ella stands up and pulls all the blankets back and crawls onto the tiny cot with Erin, half on top of her. She puts the blankets back over them. She doesn’t want Erin to get cold again. “I feel better already.” Erin kisses the top of Ella’s head as Ella cuddles into Erin’s chest, her head tucked underneath Erin’s chin.

Erin closes her eyes, feeling whole again with Ella in her arms once more. She hears sniffles after a little bit. “Are you crying?” Erin asks, bringing one hand up to Ella’s back. She might not be able to rub Ella’s back but she can rest her hand there.

“Yeah.” Ella nods. “It’s stupid.” She tells Erin.

“It’s not stupid if it makes you upset.” Erin says.

“I just- I wasn’t sure if we’d find you.” Ella rubs her face against Erin’s shirt.

“You found me.” Erin tells her. “You found me.” She sighs, relieved that Ella found her. Erin wishes she could do more to comfort Ella right now but just having her hand on Ella’s back is a hard enough task for her weak body.

Ella cries, eventually falling asleep. Erin falls back to sleep after that. Francis walks back in with some hot soup. “For fuck’s sake.” He grumbles when he sees Ella asleep on top of a sleeping Erin in the cot.


	17. Chapter 17

Carm knocks, before opening the door. First, she sees Francis asleep, slumped over in his chair. Then she sees the two of them, both on the little cot. Erin on her back and Ella draped over her. The blankets peeled back to their waists. “Idiots.” She chuckles and shakes her head.

Carm puts her hands on her hips. “Isn’t this how we got in this situation?” She asks loudly, waking the rooms three slumbering occupants.

“Carm.” Ella whines, groggily.

Erin giggles and rubs Ella’s back. “What do you want Carm?” Erin is slightly annoyed that Carm woke them.

“Breakfast is ready.” Carm announces.

“Oh, I’m starving.” Ella pushes herself to a sitting position. Erin laugh at her.

“Aaron, how do you feel?” Francis asks.

“Pretty good. Still weak though. I can feel my toes again, so that’s good.” Erin informs everyone in the room.

“Can you sit up by yourself?” Is Francis’s next question.

“I think so.” Erin nods. She feels confident that she can at least sit up. She feels better than the last time she woke up. “You gotta get up though.” She tells Ella.

Ella smiles and stands up. Erin slowly pushes herself into a sitting position before swinging her legs over the edge of the cot, setting her feet flat on the floor, and wiggling her toes. Erin looks up and smiles at Frances, Carm, and lastly Ella.

“Okay, breakfast it is.” Francis declares.

“Yes.” Erin does a fist pump.

“But, you stay here.” Francis points at Erin. “I don’t want you up and about. Especially, before we get some food in you.” Erin nods. “Carm, can you bring Aaron’s breakfast.” He instructs.

“On it.” Carm scurries out of the room.

“And Ella- I need to speak with you.” Francis looks over at Ella. “Alone.” He adds.

“Okay.” Ella nods. “I’ll be right back.” She tells Erin.

Ella follows Francis into the pub. His men are eating breakfast at one of the tables. Francis leads Ella to a quiet corner. “Okay. I’m gonna tell you a few things. First, we will be traveling back to the castle today, after we get everything settled here. That leads me to number two. Aaron is weak and as you know, it’s a long ride back to the castle. I don’t want him out of bed until we leave. It also means you leave him alone.” Ella frowns. “I’ve gathered the natural of your relationship. Which is fine with me, but you stay out of that cot.” Francis basically scolds the princess.

Ella nods. “Can I get breakfast now?” She asks. She so hungry.

“One more thing.” Francis stops her from leaving. “Your boy there could have died.”

“I know.” Ella says. She figured as much.

Francis puts a hand on Ella’s shoulder. “I don’t think you do. Aaron- I don’t think he would have survived the night if we didn’t find him late yesterday afternoon.” He says.

Ella ducks her head. “Oh.” She mumbles. She didn’t know it was that serious.

“It’s gonna take a few days for him to recover fully.“ Francis adds.

“Okay. Thanks Francis.” Ella says. She is really thankful for him and everything he’s done in the past few days.

“Go eat.” Francis says, knowing the princess is ‘starving’.

* * *

 

The horses are all packed up and ready to go. They’ve eaten and had water. Francis’s men have also had food and drink. The group is all ready to depart. They bring the horses around the backside of the pub.

Ella pops her head in the door. “You ready to go?” She asks Erin, who is sitting on the cot. Erin looks over to Ella with an uneasy look on her face. “Erin?” Ella asks expectantly.

“I came back here for a reason.” Erin whispers and looks away from Ella.

Ella pops her head outside again. “Just a sec, guys.” She tells the group and steps into the room. “Erin we have to go.” She kneels down in front of Erin. Her hands on Erin’s knees.

“I wanted to see my family.” Erin tells her.

“Did you?” Ella asks nervously. She doesn’t know what’s going on with Erin right now. She just hopes that Erin isn’t thinking of backing out and staying in this village.

Erin shakes her head. “I couldn’t do it.” She says sadly. “I wanted to see my little sister, but I couldn’t do it. I know where they live, but I couldn’t get there.” Erin explains.

“We can stop there on the way out of town.” Ella suggests.

Erin shakes her head. “No. It’s fine. But, could we stop somewhere else?” She asks, finally connecting her eyes with Ella’s.

“Anywhere.” Ella offers.

“The graveyard.” Erin whispers.

Ella nods and leans in to kiss Erin gently. “I love you.” Ella says, rubbing Erin’s knees with her palms. “I’ll let Francis know.” She stands up and goes out to the group. “Francis we need to make a stop before we leave town.” Ella says to the head guard.

“Where?” He asks with a raised eyebrow.

“The graveyard.” Ella whispers.

“What?” Francis squawks.

“We just have to.” Ella insists.

“Fine.” Francis rolls his eyes. “But, I’m not going in. Those places creep me out.” He says and mounts his horse.

“That’s fine.” Ella says and goes back inside.

“It’s all set.” She tells Erin. She holds out her hands and Erin takes them. Ella pulls Erin to her feet. Erin stands shakily.

“Woah.” Erin breathes out. “My legs are like noodles.”

Ella laughs. “Let’s go, noodle girl.” Ella jokes and holds on to Erin’s arm. “Take it easy.” She suggests as Erin takes a tentative first step, then another. Ella helps Erin out to the horses. “Okay, here’s the hard part.”

David comes over. Ella hands Erin off to him. Ella gets up onto the horse first. David helps, along with Carm, to get Erin up on the horse. Erin leans into Ella’s back once she’s atop the horse, wrapping her arms around Ella’s waist to hold on. David wraps a blanket around Erin and ties it down so it won’t fall off as they ride.

“Ready?” Ella asks. Erin nods. “Let’s go boys.” Ella yells.

Francis lead them out of town. They stop at the entrance to the graveyard at the edge of the small village. “Wait here boys.” Francis tells his men.

Ella guides her horse through the entrance. “You too, Carm. Stay here.” Ella tells her assistant. She rides into the graveyard, leaving the group behind. “Tell me where to go.” She asks gently.

“Go right. Halfway down the second row. I’ll tell you where to stop.” Erin instructs. They ride along until Erin squeezes Ella’s waist and she stops the horse.

Erin looks down at the two gravestones below them. “Mom and dad-“ Erin starts, tearing up. “-I just wanted to stop by and see you and say hello. I’ve been good for the most part- well except for yesterday.” Erin wraps her arms tighter around Ella. “You don’t have to worry about me though. I have someone who’s gonna take care of me.” Erin smiles. “She’s with me right now. Mom and dad I’d like to introduce you to Ella.”

Ella tries to turn around to get a look at Erin, but can’t quite. “Erin.” Ella sighs. She’s not sure she likes this.

Erin smirks. “Don’t be rude, Ella. Say hello.” Erin scolds, playfully.

Ella looks down at the two gravesites. “Hello, Erin’s mom and dad. It’s a pleasure to be introduced. I can’t say that I am comfortable with this, but I’ll do anything for Erin. You raised a great girl. Really great. And like she said, I’m gonna take care of her and make sure she has what she needs.” Ella says.

Erin squeezes Ella’s waist and buries her face in the back of Ella’s neck. “I love you.” She mumbles happily.

Ella giggles. “I love you, too.” She pats at Erin’s hands on her waist.

“Bye, mom and dad. Maybe we will come back some time to see you again.” Erin tells the gravestones.

“We will.” Ella confirms. “Bye.” She says to Erin’s parents, with a little wave. Ella starts the horse on a path out of the graveyard.

“Thank you, Ella.” Erin mumbles, kissing the back of Ella’s neck.

Ella shivers. “That tickles.” She giggles. “But, you are very welcome. Anything for you, my love.”

Erin cuddles into Ella. “Let’s go home.” Ella smiles. She loves the sound of that.

Just before the graveyard exit Erin asks one more question. “Is your mother gonna lock me in a dungeon or something when we get back?” She smirks.

Ella laughs. “No. You don’t have to worry about that. We will talk about it, but I talked to my dad and he has taken her off the warpath. She’s probably not gonna like it or you-“ Ella winces, but it’s true. “-but I don’t care. I don’t like her right now. I haven’t talked to her since-“ Ella informs Erin.

“Ella.” Erin scolds. She thinks Ella should be nicer to her mother.

“I don’t care. It is what it is. I’ll take care of it eventually but right now my priority is you.” Ella tells her honestly.

“Thank you.” Erin says gratefully.

“Ready?” Francis rides over to greet them at the graveyard gate.

“Yep. Let’s go home.” Ella uses the words Erin used.

Francis nods and leads them on their return trip back to the castle.

* * *

 

When they arrive back David and Francis help Erin off of Ella’s horse at the front of castle, per Ella’s request. Ella hops off her horse and follows as they help Erin up the stairs and into the castle doors. Carm and the other two men take care of the horses.

“In my room.” Ella orders.

“Yes, ma’am.” Francis says.

“I’ll be there soon.” Ella tells them. She goes off to find her father and let him know that they have found Erin and have returned.

She checks the study first. It’s the most likely place to find the King. “Dad?” Ella pushes the study door open.

“Ella.” King William stands from his chair. “You’re back.” He goes over and wraps Ella in his arms. “How’d it go?” He asks.

“We found Erin.” Ella mumbles into her father’s chest.

“That’s great.” He says. “I’m happy for you.”

“Thank you.” Ella pushes away from her father. “I just wanted to tell you we were back. I wanted to thank you for sending a search party. Your boys did a good job. They should get the day off tomorrow. Carm too, but I’ll let her know that. I’m having Francis and David bring Erin up to my room. He’s in rough shape. Francis says Erin could have easily died. It’s gonna take a few days to recover.” Ella tells the King.

“Very well.” King William nods, appreciating the information. “Have you seen your mother yet?”

Ella shakes her head. “No. We just now returned and I came directly here.” She tells him.

“You should find her when you have the time.” Her father tells her.

“Do I have to?” Ella whines.

“I wish you would. I’ve spoken with her a few times in the last couple of days. I think a few of her opinions may have changed. Just talk with her, please.” King William begs. He wants his girls to be on good terms again.

“Fine.” Ella rolls her eyes. “But, when I have time. Which won’t be today or tomorrow. Probably not til Erin is better again.” Ella tells him. She doesn’t want to meet with her mother.

“That seems fair. But, Ella, don’t put this off.” He threatens lightly.

“Okay. I have to go now.” She rushes out of the room. Her father chuckles as she goes.

Ella hurries up to her bedroom. When she gets there Erin is laying in her bed covered to her chin with blankets. “Hey.” Ella whispers as she enters the room. Erin smiles over at the princess. “Has Carm been here yet?” Ella asks and Erin shakes her head. “How are you feeling?” Ella goes over to the closet.

“Hungry and tired.” Erin says honestly. She’s not gonna lie to Ella.

Ella chuckles and pulls a nightgown from the closet. She reaches behind her back and manages to pull the string loose that holds her dress tight together. She slips out of the tattered dress. It’s all ripped up and dirty. “This dress is ruined.” She mumbles. Erin watches as Ella changes into a fresh nightgown. “Where the heck is Carm?” Ella grumbles. She needs her to tie up her nightgown.

“I’ll do it.” Erin offers.

“You will not.” Ella narrows her eyes at Erin. “I’ll wait for Carm.” She says. Ella folds the ruined dress over the back of the chair and waits.

Carm pushes through the door in a hurry, nearly running into Ella on the way in.

“Woah, tiger.” Ella laughs.

“Sorry.” Carm mumbles. “I brought you some food, Erin.” Carm brings the tray over to the nightstand. “A sandwich, hot soup, and since you don’t like tea I brought water.” Carm holds out the sandwich for Erin. Erin sits up in bed, her back against the headboard. She takes the sandwich from Carm.

“Tie my dress Carm.” Ella demands and stands right next to Carm.

“Woah.” Carm chuckles. “What’s the rush?” She asks.

“I could have asked the same thing when you came flying in here.” Ella shoots back.

“That’s fair, I guess.” Carm chuckles and ties Ella’s nightgown together.

“Thank you.” Ella sighs when Carm is done. She grabs the bowl of soup and rounds the bed. She carefully gets into the bed with the soup. Ella kneels at Erin’s hip. “Here” Ella holds out a spoonful of soup in front of Erin’s face.

Erin looks at the spoon, then at Ella. “I can feed myself.” She says to the princess.

“Just let me.” Ella insists.

“Ella.” Erin sighs. She’s not a baby, she can feed herself. “I really can feed myself.” She tells Ella.

“I know you can, but I want to help.” Ella pouts. Erin sighs and opens her mouth and Ella guides the spoonful in.

Carm is organizing and cleaning the room while Ella feeds Erin. “Carm?” Ella gets Carm’s attention.

“Yeah?” Carm spins around to look at Ella.

“You can go after Erin’s done eating. I’ll come down with you and have dinner. I’ll let Erin sleep. But after dinner you get the rest of the day off. Tomorrow too.” Ella tells her faithful servant.

“Thank you, Princess.” Carm says. “But who’s gonna take care of you?” Carm asks.

Ella puffs out her chest. “I can take care of myself.” She says proudly, feeling like she can do anything after her latest adventure. “Plus, I’m just gonna stick around here all day tomorrow.” She smiles at Erin. “And I’ll just find Andrew if I need anything. You deserve the day off. We’ve been through a lot the last couple of days.” Ella says. It’s all very true.

“Thank you, Ella. I’m exhausted. I can’t wait to get some sleep.” Carm tells them. “I don’t know about you guys, but I never want to go on a journey like that again.” She chuckles.

Erin ducks her head in shame. She knows it’s all because of her. She feels sorry that she made them search for her. Even if she thought what she was doing was the only thing. The Queen threw her out and told her to never return. What was she supposed to think and do? “I’m done.” Erin mumbles. She doesn’t want to eat anything more. She suddenly doesn’t feel like eating.

“You didn’t finish.” Ella says.

“I’m full.” Erin lies and slumps down in the bed, laying on her back again.

“Okay.” Ella says skeptically. She hands the bowl to Carm. “If you want to get dinner I’ll be down in a minute.” Ella tells her.

Carm nods. “Feel better buddy.” Carm smiles at Erin. “Maybe I’ll stop by tomorrow to see how you’re doing.”

Erin acknowledges with a nod. “Thanks Carm.”

Carm takes the tray and leaves.

“Hey.” Ella gets Erin’s attention. “What’s up?” She asks.

“Nothing.” Erin shrugs.

“I know you. I know something’s up. Something’s bothering you. You didn’t finish your soup.” Ella says. She takes Erin’s hand in her own.

“It’s nothing. I’m just tired. Can I sleep now?” Erin asks, avoiding eye contact with Ella.

Ella sighs. “Okay.” She gets out of bed. Ella leans over and kisses Erin’s forehead. “Get some rest.” She whispers.

Ella goes down to the dining room to eat. It’s early yet, so her parents aren’t there, but Carm is. “You should get some rest too.” Carm tells the princess as she eats her dinner. “You look exhausted.”

Ella sighs. “I know, but I can’t.” Ella finishes her meal and sips on her tea that Carm prepared early. “I need to make sure Erin is okay first.” She tells Carm with a tight-lipped smile.

“You really have it bad, don’t you?” Carm laughs.

“Have what?” Ella squints at Carm confused.

“That all-consuming love. I’ve only seen it once or twice in my life, but you got it kid.” Carm tells the princess. Ella just shrugs. “Okay, enough from me. I know you’re itching to get back to her.” Carm takes the tea cup from Ella.

Ella smiles up at Carm for letting her go. “Thanks, Carm.” Ella walks across the room, but turns when she reaches the door. “And don’t tell anyone about Erin. I know you wouldn’t intentionally but just- nevermind- I trust you. It’s me that I don’t trust right now.” Ella mumbles.

Carm laughs. “Good evening and good night, Princess.” Carm winks.

Ella makes her way back to Erin. The groundskeeper’s asleep in her bed. Ella stops at the foot of the bed to admire the sight. The person she loves totally, completely sleeping in her bed. With a happy smile on her face, she crawls onto the bed. She thought, a few short days ago, that this might never happen again. Ella curls up under the blankets at Erin’s side trying not to disturb her sleep.

But Erin stirs. “Ella?” She mumbles sleepily.

“Yeah, it’s me. I’m here.” Ella tells her and kisses her cheek. “Go back to sleep.” She whispers. Erin mumbles something that Ella doesn’t understand. “What?”

Erin turns onto her side, facing Ella, and wrapping her arm around her back. “Did you get some sleep?” Ella asks.

Erin nods. “Yeah. Did you eat?” She asks.

“Yes. I did.” Ella thinks it’s funny that Erin is concerned that she ate when she is the ‘sick’ one. “Erin you need to rest. Stop worrying about me.” Ella says to her, rubbing her thumb across Erin’s cheek.

Erin’s eyes pop open. “It’s my job.” She looks deep into Ella’s eyes.

Ella smiles ear to ear, closing the small gap between their faces, and kisses Erin soundly. “I love you.” She whispers. “I didn’t-“ She gets choked up. “I didn’t know if- I’d ever see you again.” She whispers out shakily. Her eyes fill with tears.

“I know.” Erin says, rubbing her hand in soothing circles on Ella’s back.

“Erin, I- I- you could have died.” Ella cries.

“I know.” Erin says sadly. “And I’m sorry about that-“ She says. “Please don’t cry. I hate it when you cry.” Erin kisses Ella’s cheeks.

“I don’t know what I would have done.” Ella admits. “I don’t think- I don’t know-“ Ella stutters.

Erin pulls Ella to her chest, her head tucked under her chin. Erin bites her lip as her eyes fill with their own tears. “I’m here.” Erin says. “And I’m not going anywhere, right?” She tells Ella.

“Right.” Ella nods, crying into Erin’s shirt.

“Then you don’t have to worry about it anymore. I’ll get better. I’ll get stronger. I’ll go back to work. It’ll be like it was before- before-“ Erin can’t finish the sentence.

“Before the Queen came in and found us together.” Ella supplies.

“Yeah, that.” Erin mumbles. “I suppose she hates me.” That’s all Erin can think. She saw the rage and anger on the Queen’s face.

“Probably.” Ella chuckles a little. “I don’t want to think about her right now though. I just want to be here with you and I want to know how-“ Ella peels away from Erin’s chest.

“How what?” Erin prods.

“How you got to where we found you.” Ella looks Erin in the eyes.

Erin swallows thickly. “Okay.” Erin starts on the tale as they lay in bed holding onto each other. “Well, when you mother-“ Erin starts.

“The Queen.” Ella cuts her off.

“Okay. When the Queen kicked me out, I left immediately. I didn’t stop for anything. I was too afraid that the Queen had already sent word that I wasn’t allowed on the property. So I left. I walked down the drive and off the property. I took a right at the road and followed it for a long time. I didn’t know where I was gonna go. I didn’t know anyone around here. All I know is the castle and the markets. So I started trying to flag down a passing carriages. After three or four passed, one finally stopped. I asked the man inside if he could give me a ride. He agreed but was only going as far as the next village over.” Erin sighs sadly.

“What is it?” Ella asks, knowing that Erin’s holding something back.

Erin closes her eyes. “I had decided during the carriage ride that I would try and make it back to the village I came from.”

Ella leans in and kisses Erin. “That’s how I knew where to find you.” She tells Erin. Erin nods and opens her eyes again.

“So, anyway, I figured that was my best option. My aunt and uncle still lived in the area with my little sister, as far as I knew. I managed to get there quickly. Two other carriage trips and I was back in my home village. I was gonna go to my aunt and uncle and ask if I could stay there until I found work or somewhere else to stay. But I couldn’t go through with it. I felt ashamed, like a failure. I still do. I couldn’t show up at their door in my nice new shirt and castle issued pants. They would have known where I had been with one look at me. And known that I had failed at whatever it was I was doing for the King.” Erin shrugs. That’s the way she felt at the time.

“You’re not a failure.” Ella reassures her. “Don’t think that. The Queen is the one who-“

“I didn’t even stand up for myself, for you, for us. I told you I would protect you and I didn’t do that. If that’s not a failure, I don’t know what is.” Erin grumbles.

Ella doesn’t like it. “Hey.” Ella says sternly. She sets her palm on Erin’s cheek. “You are not a failure. You were scared. Hell, I was scared too. I didn’t stand up for us either. Something I regret, but you’re not a failure.” Ella tells her, sealing it with a kiss.

“Thank you.” Erin mumbles.

“Anytime, honey.” Ella says.

Erin smiles big, happy. “I like that. Honey.” Erin giggles.

“Cuz you’re sweet like honey.” Ella says with a giggle and squishes their foreheads together. “Back to the story, please?” Ella asks after a moment. She pulls back a little so she can see Erin’s eyes when she speaks.

“Okay.” Erin chuckles at Ella’s enthusiasm about hearing a rather shitty story. “I found that little addition on the backside of that house. It wasn’t part of the main building. It looked like it was just for storage. Wood storage, mostly. I knew I would be safe there. But, I also knew it wasn’t heated. It’s not as warm as it was a couple months ago. I knew it would get cold at night. That’s why I walked the main street that first evening after dark until it was way late and I was tired. I took shelter in that addition and, even though it was cold, I was protected from the drizzle that was falling.”

“I got out of there at first light so no one saw me. I walked around for a while. I stopped a couple places to ask for work. That pub. I couldn’t find work or a place to stay. I was sitting on a bench in the village square when three boys came up and started harassing me. Making fun of me. I just didn’t care. I let them say and do what they wanted. I was so done with everything. I thought I would never see you again. I thought nothing mattered anymore. One of them stole my hat. They laughed and said nasty things about my hair. I didn’t bother to say anything or stop them.” Erin takes a deep breath. This is harder than she thought it would be.

“That night, I returned to the addition on the back of that house. It was so cold that second night. I remember thinking ‘I’m gonna freeze to death’. But, morning came. I went out to look for something to eat or a job. I was so hungry by that point. I had some bread the morning before, but that was it. I couldn’t get anything else to eat.”

Ella kisses Erin’s forehead in sympathy.

“I was so discouraged, so I just went back to that addition. I made sure the home’s occupants weren’t home, but I spent my time huddled into that corner, hiding behind the wood, until you guys found me. I had- I had-“ Erin finds it too difficult to continue.

She tries to roll out of Ella’s embrace, but Ella won’t let her. She holds tight to Erin. “Tell me.” Ella demands. Erin closes her eyes and shakes her head. “Open your eyes and tell me. You’ll feel better after.” Ella says. She knows what Erin is going to say but wants to make sure Erin actually says it.

Erin breathes in heavily through her nose. She opens her eyes and searches Ella’s face before fixing in on her eyes. “I had given up. I was resigned to dying. I knew the cold would do it.” Erin sighs. She shakes her head. “I don’t remember much about you guys showing up. I was so far out of it. I couldn’t move. I was too cold. My legs didn’t work anymore. You found me late in the afternoon, right?” Erin asks.

“Yeah.” Ella nods, confirming just that. “Not long before dinnertime and dark.” Ella leans in for a long kiss. “I was so scared. I was so happy that we found you, but I was terrified at the same time. More scared than when the Queen found us together.” Ella smirks. She takes her hand from Erin’s back. “These lips.” She runs her index finger over Erin’s lips. “Were blue.” Erin smiles and Ella kisses her smile. “And your hands were like ice.” Ella finds Erin’s hands and threads their fingers together. “They’re both nice and warm now.” Ella adds.

“Thankfully. I remember waking up and not being able to feel my toes though.” Erin wiggles her toes against Ella’s ankle.

“Those are warm now too.” Ella giggles.

“Yep.” Erin grins happily. “You saved me.” She tells Ella. “My very own knight in shining armor.” She says.

Ella blushes and shakes her head. “I was just doing what I needed to do.” She confesses.

“Thank you.” Erin kisses Ella softly. Erin snuggles into Ella’s chest.

Ella holds her close, pressing a kiss to her top of her head. “Get some rest.” Ella whispers. “I love you.”

“I love you too, Ella.” Erin replies the sleep already pulling at her.

* * *

 

When Erin awakes the next morning the bed beside her is empty. She frowns. She doesn’t know how late or early it might be. Erin slowly pushes herself into a sitting position. She already feels better, stronger than yesterday. She sits at the edge of the bed for a moment, getting her bearings, before standing.

Erin walks over to the window slowly. It’s a nice fall day. The sun shines almost directly above the castle. Erin figures its almost lunchtime. She wonders where the princess is. Her stomach grumbles and she wonders if she can leave the room or not. Erin would really like to eat something. She decides she better stay in the bedroom.

Ella’s standing in the dining room, with her mother sitting at the head of the table. Ella wanted to have her lunch before the Queen came in to have hers, but her mother was actually waiting in the dining room when she arrived.

“How’s that boy?” The Queen asks coldly.

“Getting better.” Ella folds her arms over her chest, defensively. “It’s not like you care.” Ella snaps coldly.

“Well, it’s nice to have you back in the castle instead of running around who knows where.” The Queen smirks at her daughter. “It’s not lady-like.”

Ella shakes her head. She can’t believe her mother’s behavior. “You don’t get it, still.” She huffs.

“Get what, dear? You throwing your life away for a stupid servant.” The Queen cocks her head to the side.

“You may think that. Think whatever you want, actually. I love Erin and h-he’s not going anywhere. So you better get used to it.” Ella tells the Queen confidently. She stomps to the table and pulls out her chair. “Erin’s not going anywhere. I talked to dad about it. He’s fine with it. He seems more than fine with it, actually. He sees that I love Erin. I just wish you could see that too. Erin loves me. And that’s what matters most.” Ella says with finality.

“Is this why you won’t see any more suitors?” The Queen doesn’t drop the subject.

“I’m done talking about this, but yes.” Ella holds her head high. She pours herself a cup of tea.

“You won’t ever be anything in this Kingdom if you stick with that stupid boy.” The Queen says with a snarl.

“Erin is not a stupid boy.” Ella insists proudly. Even if the Queen doesn’t know what Ella means with her words. They sit in silence sipping tea until lunch arrives a few minutes later. Ella is more determined than ever to prove to the Queen wrong and make something of herself.

* * *

 

The door opens slowly. Very slowly. Erin watches as Ella appears with a tray in her hands. Ella kicks the door shut with her foot after she enters. “I brought you lunch.” She smiles proudly.

“Look at you.” Erin grins. “Maybe I should tell Carm her job is in jeopardy.” Erin jokes.

“No, silly.” Ella giggles. “I’m just helping out. I went to the kitchen and spoke to Thomas. He already had a tray ready. You are quite the legend with the staff it seems.” Ella tells her.

“Oh, really?” Erin raises an eyebrow.

“Yep. Thomas asked me how you were doing.” Ella brings the tray to the nightstand and sets it down. There’s soup and a sandwich and a pitcher of water. Erin eyes the meal, her stomach rumbles. “Someone’s hungry.” Ella chuckles when she hears it.

“You’re not gonna feed me again.” Erin says.

“You don’t want me to?” Ella pouts.

“It’s just- I’m a big girl and I can feed myself.” Erin explains. “It was kinda embarrassing yesterday. Sweet but embarrassing.” Erin says the last part quietly.

Ella smiles. “Okay. I won’t feed you.” She laughs.

“What’s so funny?” Erin asks, not understanding why Ella is laughing.

“It’s not really, but I’m sorry. I shoulda let you feed yourself yesterday.” Ella hands Erin the bowl of soup. “Did you sleep well? She asks.

“Very well. That is until I rolled over and you weren’t here.” Erin smiles and takes a bite of soup.

“Sorry. I wanted to get lunch. For me and for you.” Ella looks away, over to the window. “I also talked to the Queen. I told her where I stand. I told her that you aren’t going anywhere. That we are gonna be together. That she doesn’t have to like it, but it is what it is.

“Thank you.” Erin says.

Ella doesn’t want to talk about the Queen anymore. She’s spent more time with the Queen then she would like for one day. She doesn’t want to think about her anymore. Ella climbs on the bed next to Erin and sits at her side watching her eat.

There’s a knock on the door as Erin is finishing her sandwich. “Hey, buddy.” Carm peeks her head in the door.

“Carm.” Ella greets. “Come sit with us.” Ella pats the empty space on the bed next to her.

“Having fun, _ladies_?” Carm smirks as she comes over. Erin’s eyes go wide and she chokes on her sandwich. Carm laughs. Ella reaches for the glass of water and hands it to Erin. “Calm down buddy, it’s fine. But, man, you coulda told me. It does put an interesting new twist on the two of you.” Carm points between Ella and Erin.

“What?” Ella asks, not understand what Carm is referring to.

“Ya know with-“ Carm wolf-whistles.

“Carm.” Erin groans and puts her hand over her face.

Carm laughs. “Yeah, that.” Carm smacks Erin’s foot as she sits down.

“Oh!” Realization hits Ella. “I got it.” She shakes her head. “It’s not a problem. Trust me.” She goes on.

Carm busts out in laughter and Erin groans.

“What?” Ella asks.

Carm laughs harder. “You are too much, Princess.” She tells Ella.

Ella just shrugs and takes the glass back from Erin.

“How you feeling?” Carm asks Erin.

“Better.” Erin nods. “I’m still weak but I feel better altogether.”

Carm pats Erin’s leg. “That’s good. You’ll be back to your old self in no time.”

“Thanks Carm. Did you get some extra sleep today?” Erin changes the subject off of herself.

Carm nods. “Oh yeah. That’s the best part of all this. You took off on a pretty wild trip and you had this one quite worried.” Carm points at Ella. The princess shrugs.

Erin reaches for Ella’s hand and gives it a sympathetic squeeze. “Yeah, I know. But I don’t wanna talk about that.”

Carm nods and settles into her spot on the bed. “Okay, that’s fair. We can talk about anything else.”

The three of them talk for a while before Carm leaves to go do her wash. Erin lays down after Carm leaves to take a nap. She asks Ella to lay with her. The princess does.

Ella only sleeps for a little bit and wakes up to a still sleeping Erin. She’s fine with laying there and watching her sleep. But there’s a knock on the door. Ella’s torn. Does she ask who it is and risk waking Erin? Does she try to get out of bed, again, risking waking Erin.

She slowly, carefully, gets out of bed, not waking the sleeping girl and goes over to the door. There’s another knock, as she approaches. “Coming.” She whispers. Ella opens the door to the King standing there. “Dad?” She asks. “What are you doing here?” Ella is confused. The King never comes to her room.

“Can I come in?” He asks.

Ella looks over her shoulder to see that Erin is still asleep. “I- uh- sure.” She steps back and lets her father into her room.

The King takes a good look around the room. He’s only been in his daughter’s room a handful of times. “I wanted to see how our young lad was doing.” He explains his presence. “But, I see he’s asleep.” King William looks over at Erin, almost cautiously.

“Erin’s really weak and tired.” Ella supplies.

“I see.” The King hums. He turns his attention to his daughter. “I also wanted to see if you spoke with your mother.” He raises an eyebrow at her.

“I did.” Ella folds her arms in front of herself, not liking the way this conversation is headed.

“And?” He asks.

“And, nothing.” Ella shrugs. “She thinks I’m wasting my life if I continue with Erin. But I know I’m not. I know Erin’s gonna be what makes me happiest.” Ella says with honesty.

Erin takes that moment to roll over in bed and realize it’s empty again. She groans not happy about it. “Ella.” She mumbles.

Ella looks from Erin to her father with wide eyes. “I-“ She stutters for words. The King nods towards Erin. “I’m right here.” Ella says to her.

Erin rolls over towards Ella’s voice and opens her eyes, seeing the King standing there with Ella. “Oh shit.” She mumbles.

The King laughs. “Hello, Aaron.” He smiles, amused.

Erin pulls the blanket all the way up to her nose. “Hello, Your Majesty.” Erin answers politely. Ella’s the one to laugh now.

“I just wanted to see how you’re doing.” The King says. Erin nods, at a loss for words. “You get yourself better and get back out there helping Benjamin with the groundskeeping. It’s never looked better.” King William compliments.

Erin lowers the blanket to her chin. “Thank you, sir.” Erin tells him.

“Also-“ The King looks away from Erin, over to the princess. “-I expect you to treat my daughter with respect. I expect you to be on your best behavior around her.” William pulls Ella into a big hug.

“Always, sir.” Erin watches as they embrace. She can see the special connection that they have with each other.

“And Aaron-“ The King turns back to Erin, releasing his daughter. “-no matter what my wife says, don’t go running away from this castle. Come find me if there’s a problem and we will settle whatever it is. I’m a fair man. Yes, I do run a kingdom, but I try to do it as levelly as possible. I trust you. Mostly because my daughter here trusts you so much. It’s beautiful to see my little girl in love. Don’t break that trust, Aaron.” The King says, scaring Erin a little.

“I won’t.” Erin says quietly.

“Good. Now- are you clothed?” He asks. Erin’s eyes go wide, frightened.

“Dad?” Ella whines beside him.

“Answer the question, son.” The King orders.

“Yes, expect for shoes.” Erin whispers.

“That will suffice.” King William nods. “Get up.” He tells Erin.

Erin slowly gets out of bed and stands before the King. She desperately wants to look over at Ella, but keeps her eyes trained on the King. He takes a step forward. King William wraps his arms around Erin and pulls her into a hug. Erin wraps her arms around his back awkwardly. Ella smiles from the side and crashes into them, wrapping her arms around both.

“Now-“ The King pulls away first. “-I have work to do. You two have a good afternoon. And Ella don’t do anything to impede Aaron’s recovery process.” He chuckles. “I know how young love is.”

Ella’s face turns bright red and she looks down at the floor. Erin looks away too. Her cheeks tingeing pink too. “Dad.” Ella groans. “I- we-“ She tries to protest.

“Just stop.” Erin whispers to her.

The King laughs and makes his way to the door.

Ella looks up when the door closes. “Does everyone think we are having sex?” She mumbles.

“Well-“ Erin reaches for Ella’s hand. “-we are. And I’d say that since both Carm and your mother saw us in bed together it pretty obvious.” Erin says, walking backwards to the bed, tugging Ella along with her. “So, your parents and Carm know.”

Ella nods. “And Francis.” She adds. Erin raises an eyebrow. “He figured it out. When we were at the pub. The fact that I was on that cot with you and the fact that I was even allowed to help with the search. Actually, there’s a lot of things he probably picked up on. I’m not very subtle, am I?” Ella pouts.

“Maybe. Maybe not. Now lay down with me again. Like your father said, I need to get better. And I think you being next to me speeds that up.” Erin says with a smirk.

Ella rolls her eyes. “You’re just trying to get me into bed with you.”

“Yes. That’s exactly what I’m trying to do. Now come on.” Erin doesn’t hide it. She tugs on Ella’s hand again.

“Fine.” Ella pretends to be annoyed. She lets Erin pull her onto the bed. Ella kisses Erin when they get settled.

“I feel better already.” Erin snuggles into Ella with a yawn.

“Sleep well, honey.” Ella says.

“I love you.” Erin replies.

“Love you too.” Ella rubs her hand up and down Erin’s back helping her drift off. Ella thinks about how lucky she is as Erin goes to sleep.


	18. Chapter 18

“Good morning, sunshine.” Erin smiles when Ella’s eyes flicker open. She’d been awaked for a while and watched as her princess slept on. “You’re absolutely beautiful when you sleep. So at peace. Not that you’re not beautiful the rest of the time. Every time I look at you you are even more beautiful than the last time. I don’t know how I got so lucky. Ella you-“

Ella cuts Erin’s cute rambling off with a kiss. She smiles into the kiss and hums when she pulls away. “Your rambling.” She licks her lips.

“Sorry.” Erin tries to avoid Ella’s eyes.

“Don’t be. It’s cute.” Ella pulls her into another kiss. “Plus, I like to hear you talk about me. Not so much the words, though they are important, but I like the look on your face, the way your smile is soft, and the way your eyes light up. I can see the love in them. Those rich browns give you away.” Ella kisses Erin’s forehead. “I love you.”

Erin is all shy now but doesn’t miss an opportunity. “I love you, Ella.” She says with conviction. She kisses Ella.

The door pushes open loudly, interrupting them. “Good morning.” Carm yells. She has one hand over her eyes the other holding a tray.

“Morning, Carm.” Ella giggles at Carm trying to enter the room without use of sight. “You aren’t interrupting anything.” Ella giggles more.

Carm sighs. “Good.” She removes her hand from her eyes. “I didn’t think- with Erin’s condition- but you never know.” Carm winks at them.

Ella groans and hides her face. She hates when anyone says something suggestive about them.

Erin rubs her palm up and down Ella’s arm. “I feel much better today, Carm. I haven’t gotten out of bed yet, but I already feel stronger than yesterday.” Erin tells her.

“That’s good.” Carm nods. “I brought you breakfast.” She carries the tray over to the bedside table. “Toast and porridge, but hey at least you get to eat up here. You are quite privileged.” Carm smirks. “The servants have heard of your return, but don’t know where you’re hiding out. The gossip is rampant. You’re probably gonna get a lot of questions in your direction when you return to work. Just so you know.”

“They should mind their own business.” Ella sits up.

“They should.” Carm agrees. “But they don’t. They don’t know how.” She adds.

“It’s fine.” Erin tells Ella. “It’s just something I’ll have to deal with.” She sits up in bed too. Ella gets out of bed to get dressed. Carm assist and Erin starts eating breakfast. “I know there’s gonna be questions. I’ll do my best to answer them without revealing anything. People are curious. They’ll want to know why I left and how I returned. It’s fine.” Erin bits into her toast.

“It’s not fine.” Ella spins around while Carm is trying to tie her dress.

“Hey.” Carm protests.

Ella folds her arms over her chest. “You shouldn’t have to answer to those nosy people.” She complains. Carm goes around to Ella’s back to continue tying her dress.

“Well, I’m not you. Therefore, I can’t get away with not answering questions.” Erin smirks at her.

“Not funny.” Ella grumbles, stomping her foot. “It’s none of their business.” She doesn’t like the fact that Erin has to answer any questions about what happened. It doesn’t seem fair to her.

“Ella.” Erin looks into Ella’s eyes, trying to calm her down. “They know I was gone, at the least. Sent away, at the most. They also know that you and Carm went out with the search party. For multiple days. I’m sure most have their assumptions as to what that means. I will neither confirm nor deny their assumptions. I will, however, answer questions about what happened. It will be better than not answering questions at all and letting the rumors fly.” Erin motions Ella over. “Come here.”

Ella walks the few steps to the edge of the bed. “I really like this dress.” Erin says, reaching out and putting her hand on Ella’s hip.

Ella looks down at her dress for the first time. She hadn’t even realized what dress she was putting on. “Me too. It’s one of my favorites.” She looks to Erin. All her anger and upset gone when Erin smiles softly up at her.

“Go get some breakfast.” Erin says. Ella nods.

Carm takes that she her cue. “Let’s go, Ella.” She heads for the door.

“I’ll be right back.” Ella tells Erin, turning to the door.

“Take your time. I’m not going anywhere.” Erin says with a huge smile.

* * *

 

Ella is already seated at the table when her parents come in. “Good morning, dear.” Her dad greets.

“Morning, dad.”

The King sits in his chair. The Queen sits down beside him, doesn’t say anything to Ella. No one says anything for a few moments. King William looks between his wife and his daughter wishing someone would say something to the other.

Ella’s the one to say something first. “I would like to have a meeting with you this afternoon, dad.” She says. It’s not what the King was hoping for. “If you have the time, of course.” She adds.

“I always have time for my daughter.” William nods. “How about right after lunch?” He asks.

“That’s perfect.” Ella nods and smiles warmly at him. She continues with her meal. The Queen starts up a discussion with the King. Ella listens on as they go through their schedules for the day. It’s not like the Queen has very many important things she has to do. The King is the one who makes all of the decision for the castle and the kingdom. He and his advisor Simon.

Ella finishes her breakfast and returns to Erin. They spend the morning in bed. Carm cancels Ella’s teachers for the day, per the princess’s request.

Ella feels like it’s time. It’s time for things to start to change. She knows she’s young but she needs to start learning how the castle and kingdom run if she’s going to take over one day.

* * *

 

“What did you want to meet about, dear?” The King asks, sitting in his desk chair in the study.

Ella takes the chair across the desk from him. “I want to get more involved with the things you do. I want to know how the castle runs. I want to know what you do.” Ella folds her hands together on top of the desk.

“I see.” King William nods. He rubs his chin with his fingertips and thumb. “And what has brought this about?” He asks.

“Well, I’m getting older. Marrying age. But that’s not really why.” Ella looks down at her hands.

“Then why?” William asks gently, already thinking he knows the answer.

“Things in my life are changing.” Ella makes eye contact with her father.

He nods. “Aaron.”

“Yeah, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking and it’s all spurred from my relationship. And if I’m going to be a leader one day, I’m gonna have to know how and what to do. Being in love makes me think about my future and what that could possibly hold. I want to be your successor. And I want to do a good job. So, what I’m asking is to start learning about all the things you do. I want to be done with schooling. I’ve had enough of that. I want to move onto the next thing.” Ella tells her father confidently.

He raises his eyebrows. “Wow. I always thought you would make a good leader but the initiative you are showing right now is impressive.” The King tells her.

“I’m serious about this.” Ella tells him, leaning forward in her chair.

“I can see that. But we have time, Ella. No need to rush into this. And I understand where you are coming from. Love is a powerful motivator and I’m sure you want some things to change around here. And I’m sure with you in control they will.” William says. He knows his daughter well. He knows what she wants.

“Or you could change them.” Ella smirks.

“Nice try.” The King chuckles. “We, together, will make changes to the laws. Of course, we have to have the royal court vote in any new laws, but that shouldn’t be too difficult.”

Ella’s smile beams. It makes her father happy, proud. “I can’t wait. When do we start?” She asks.

The King laughs. “How about we start with half-days, afternoons. You can come with me to all my meetings. Follow me around, watch, just be by my side and learn as much as you can.

“Great. I look forward to it.” Ella stands and holds out her hand.

William shakes it with a big smile. “I’m so proud of you, Ella. For standing up for what you want. You’ll make a great Queen one day.”

Ella ducks her head. “Thanks, dad.” She looks back up with a shy smile, not liking all the praise he gives her. “Tomorrow. We start.” She says to him.

“Yes.” He nods.

“Have a good rest of your afternoon.” Ella tells him and turns to leave.

“I will, dear. Oh, and tell Aaron I say hello.” He says.

Ella looks over her shoulder, smiles, and nods. She heads up the giant staircase to her bedroom. Ella pushes the door open, carefully, incase Erin is sleeping. She not. Ella smiles and closes the door quickly.

“What’s got you all smiley?” Erin asks when she sees the princess. She’s just finished the lunch that Carm brought her and is sitting up in bed with her back against the headboard.

Ella runs across the room and jumps on the bed, crawling into Erin’s lap, her leg straddling Erin.

“Well, hello.” Erin smirks and wiggle her eyebrows.

Ella smacks her on the shoulder. “Stop it.” She says, but settles into Erin regardless. “I spoke with my father.” She informs.

“About?” Erin raises an eyebrow.

“Tomorrow I will start following him around and learning about all he does as King. I’m in training to be the next in succession.” Ella smiles ear to ear.

“That’s great, Ella.” Erin kisses her in congratulations. “I’m so happy for you. This is all a part of your plan and it’s actually happening.” She says.

“Yeah. We’re going make changes to the laws. Things are gonna change. And one day you and I-“ Ella doesn’t finish her sentence. She wraps her arms around Erin’s neck and pulls their bodies together in an embrace. She sighs happily. She’s gonna do it. Things will change and one day Erin will be at her side ruling the kingdom with her.

* * *

 

Erin spends another night in Ella’s bed. The next day she goes downstairs and has her meals with the rest of the servants. Thomas and Ben asks her how she’s doing. The other servants ask about her ‘journey’. Erin spends the afternoon in the servant’s quarters, at her cot, and goes for a walk outside. Ella is busy with her father all afternoon. Erin has her dinner with Carm and the servants. She brings the tea to Ella’s room afterwards. She’s waiting in bed when Ella and Carm arrive.

“I haven’t seen you all day.” Ella complains, walking over to Erin and kissing her.

“How was your day?” Erin asks.

“Really good.” Ella smiles and kisses Erin again. She goes over to Carm to change into her nightgown. Erin pours the tea and watches Carm help Ella into her nightgown. “I’m just getting started, but I learned some things today.” They get the nightgown on and Carm starts to tie it. “My dad is a good teacher. If he’s showing me something new and important, he goes slow so I don’t miss anything. It’s going really well.” Ella says.

Carm releases the princess with a pat on the shoulder. Ella makes her way over to Erin. “How was your day, honey?” She asks.

Carm coughs a little. Erin and Ella both look at her. “Sorry.” Carm says. “A tickle in my throat.” She lies.

“Anyway.” Erin says, bringing Ella’s attention back to her. “My day was boring. I got out a little. I feel good. I talked with Ben. Tomorrow I’ll start back with some light work. Nothing too laborious, I promise.” Erin stops Ella’s argument before it starts.

“Okay.” Ella sighs, climbing into bed and sitting down next to Erin, with her back to the headboard and her legs under the blankets. Erin hands Ella her tea. Ella takes a sip, holding the cup in her right hand and reaching out with her left to hold Erin’s hand.

Carm finishes putting dresses away and cleaning up the room while Ella and Erin talk. “Are you gonna be coming down tonight?” She asks.

Erin bites her bottom lip. “I probably should.” She says knowing Ella won’t like it. She doesn’t like it either. “I’ll bring the tray down.” She says knowing what Carm is getting at. Ella pouts at Erin’s side.

“Thanks.” Carm says looking at the two. “And, Ella, don’t look like that. You’ll be fine. Unless you want the servants to start gossiping about Erin’s whereabouts. They saw her up and about today. She’s well enough to sleep in her only bed.” Carm says all-knowing.

Erin squeezes Ella’s hand. “Carm’s right, ya know.” She says.

“I know. I’ve kinda gotten used to sleeping with you. I’m gonna miss it. I’m gonna miss you.” Ella pouts sadly.

“Yeah, I know. Me too.” Erin leans over to kiss Ella’s temple. “I’ll miss you too.” She says. “One day…” Erin trails off. They both know that one day they won’t have to be separated. They won’t have to sleep in different beds, on different levels of the castle. One day.

“I’ll leave you two alone. Have a good night.” Carm exits.

Ella and Erin sit in comfortable silence while Ella drinks her tea. When finished, they cuddle together under the blankets. “I don’t want you to go.” Ella whines.

“I know. I don’t wanna go.” Erin presses a kiss to Ella’s forehead. “But let’s not focus on our time apart. Let’s just focus on the time we get together.” Erin says quickly.

“I like that.” Ella agrees, cuddling closer to Erin, finding comfort there.

Ella falls asleep shortly after. Erin lays with her for a while before getting out of bed. She places a kiss to Ella’s head and an I love you whispered to her.

Erin goes down to the servant’s quarters. Mostly everyone is asleep. She gets on her cot and tries to sleep but it’s not comfortable. The cot doesn’t hold the warmth and smell of the princess. It takes a long time for Erin to fall asleep.

* * *

 

“Morning, buddy.” Carm greets Erin as she approaches the breakfast table. “You look tired.” She says.

“I didn’t sleep well.” Erin says.

Carm laughs. “Someone gotten used to royalty.”

Erin frowns. “Yeah. Yeah.” She waves Carm off.

“You’ll have to suck it up.” Carm tells her. “Back to the grind.” Carm gets up from the table just as Erin sits down. “The princess calls.” Carm grins and leaves. Erin shovels food into her mouth casually.

When she’s done she meets Ben out at the groundskeepers shed. He puts her on weeding and pruning duty for the day. Ben is going to cut the grass.

Ella doesn’t come out to the back garden after lunch. Erin cleans the area by herself while Ben cuts grass. She goes back to pruning roses when she’s finished.

Erin nearly sleeps in her dinner bowl. Even though her work detail was light she’s exhausted. She gets the tea tray from Thomas.

He asks her about it. “You sure do like bringing the princess her tea.” Thomas says.

Erin shrugs. “She saved my life. It’s the least I can do.” She tells him. It’s really so much more than that but Erin shrugs it off as something simple.

“You’re a lucky guy. She seems to like you being around. I’ve never know the princess to be around anyone other than Carm.” Thomas says.

“I am very lucky.” Erin says with a smile. She means it too. “Have a good evening, Thomas.” Erin puts an end to their conversation. She takes the tray up to Ella’s room and waits.

Ella bounces through the door, going right for Erin. “Hey.” Ella wraps Erin up in her arms.

“Hey, Ella.” Erin chuckles at Ella’s excitement. “Did you miss me?”

Ella nods into the crook of Erin’s neck. She kisses her there before pulling back. “You look tired.” She says looking at Erin’s face.

“I am.” Erin doesn’t try to hide it. There’s no point. “I didn’t sleep well last night.” She admits.

“Oh, honey.” Ella pulls Erin to the bed. “Lay down.” She insists. “I’ll get changed and join you.” Ella tucks Erin into bed.

“Like you were going to do anything else.” Carm teases.

Ella frowns and Erin rolls her eyes. “Enough from you, Carm.” Ella scolds. “You don’t know what we do when you’re not here.” She says.

Carm bursts into laughter.

“Not helping, Ella.” Erin comments with a slight smirk.

“I’m not sure that I want to know.” Carm says through her laughter.

Ella groans. “Again with this-“

Erin chuckles. Ella’s the one who brought it up. “You better get used to it if Carm’s gonna stick around.” Erin understands that Carm is big on the jokes. Especially if they embarrass someone.

“Hush, you.” Ella points at Erin. Erin holds her hands in the air in innocence. “Come on, Carm.” Ella gets Carm to help her change her clothes. Ella gets changed and hops into bed next to Erin and cuddles with her. “Get some rest.” She kisses Erin’s forehead.

“Do you want your tea?” Carm asks.

“I think I’ll skip it today.” Ella replies quietly. “You can take the tray with you.” She tells her assistant. Erin has already started to drift to sleep. Ella rubs her arm softly.

“Alright, I’ll see you tomorrow.” Carm exits. Ella lays in bed with Erin as she sleeps.

Erin wakes after a little nap. “So good.” She mumbles happily.

“Yeah?” Ella asks.

“Mmhmm.” Erin hums. “I love laying with you.” She mumbles sleepily.

Ella giggles. “You’re cute when you’re sleepy.” She kisses Erin and Erin smiles into the kiss.

“I don’t want to leave.” Erin whines.

“I know.” Ella sighs.

“Just a little bit longer.” Erin pouts.

“I won’t protest that.” Ella smiles. They lay together a while before Erin decides it’s time to leave.

She opens Ella’s bedroom door, stepping out into the hallway, and turning left. “Oof.” Erin collides with someone. “I’m so sorry. I was watching where I was going.” She apologizes before looking up to see the Queen standing there. “Oh crap.” She mumbles. “I’m so sorry, ma’am. I’ll be more careful. I was just-“ She stops talking. Clearly the Queen knows where Erin is coming from.

The Queen eyes Erin from head to toe. It almost seems like the Queen is searching for something. But she doesn’t find anything. The Queen nods and sidesteps a stunned Erin. “Goodnight, Aaron.” The Queen says as she passes by.

Erin’s jaw drops. The Queen just spoke to her. Does that mean the Queen doesn’t hate Erin? Or was she just being polite? But she’s the Queen, she doesn’t have to be polite to anyone if she doesn’t want. Erin stands there and ponders the possibilities. Half of her thinks to go back into Ella’s room and tell her what just happened. She doesn’t, but she thinks about it. Erin returns to the servant’s quarters and her cot.

* * *

 

Erin returns to normal work duty the next day. Ben is happy about that. She first sees the princess mid-morning when Ella is out riding her horse and Erin is cutting the grass.

Ella trots over and stops a few feet from where Erin is working. “Grass looks good.” She says.

Erin stops cutting. “Thank you, Princess.” She smiles up at the princess.

“You look good too.” Ella says with a smirk.

Erin ducks tucks her chin to her chest, her cheeks flushing. “Princess.” She mumbles.

“All healthy again. Strong muscles, ya know, stuff like that.” Ella continues. “Super fit. Someone’s lucky.” She grins cheekily.

Erin looks up with wide eyes. “Ella.” She whisper-yells. “Stop.” Erin warns.

“Why?” Ella shrugs. “I’m entitled to my opinion.” She smiles.

“That’s not an opinion.” Erin rebuts.

“Then what is it?” Ella raises an eyebrow at Erin. Erin looks away with a shrug of her shoulders. “That’s what I thought.” Ella grins triumphantly. “Back to work, Erin.” Ella points to Erin’s lawn cutter.

Erin frowns but gets back to pushing her cutter around the property. Ella sits atop her horse and watches for a few minutes as Erin works before trotting off.

* * *

 

Erin brings the tea up after dinner. She hasn’t seen the princess since the morning when she was cutting the lawn.

Ella bounds into the room, crashing into Erin. She kisses Erin’s neck. “I have good news.” She whispers to Erin. Erin nods waiting for the news. “I’ll tell you after Carm leaves.” She whispers and steps away. She pulls at the string on her back to untie her dress. Carm helps Ella change and Erin sits on the bed and waits.

“How was your day, Erin?” Carm asks. “Ben didn’t try to push you too much did he?”

“No, I cut the front lawn this morning.” Erin suddenly wonders where Carm was this morning when Ella rode up on her horse. She’s always with the princess but when Ella came over Carm wasn’t with her. “The afternoon was an easier workload. I feel good.” Erin nods.

“That’s great, buddy. Good to have you back to normal.” Carm ties up Ella’s nightgown and lets her go.

Ella hops up on the bed, on her knees, next to where Erin is sitting. “Thank you, Carm. That’ll be all for today.” Ella tells her assistant. She doesn’t pay attention to Carm though. Her whole focus is now on Erin. She wraps her arms around Erin’s middle and leans into her side.

Carm eyes Ella suspiciously. “O-kay.” She says.

Erin smiles at Carm and Carm smiles back before making her way out of the room. “What did you want to tell me?” Erin asks the princess once Carm is gone.

“Hmm.” Ella hums. She pulls Erin’s cap off of her head. Erin’s hair falls over her neck. Ella brushes it aside. Her lips attach to the crook of Erin’s neck. Ella sucks at the skin covering Erin’s pulse.

Erin closes her eyes at the sensation. “Ella-“ She whispers.

“Hmm.” Ella hums back. Erin wants to know what Ella wanted to tell her. Ella moves next to Erin until she has repositioned herself in Erin’s lap. Erin wraps her arms around Ella’s back on instinct. The princess looks at Erin with a certain something in her eyes before licking her lips and kissing Erin silly.

Ella removes Erin’s vest. She pulls Erin’s shirt tails from Erin’s pants, her hands play with the skin underneath the shirt. The shirt comes off shortly thereafter. They break their kiss to get Erin’s shirt over her head.

“What’s gotten into you?” Erin asks.

Ella shrugs and reconnects their lips. The answer, it was seeing Erin healthy and strong again.

Erin wants to touch more of Ella but can’t with the nightgown in the way. She unties it at the back but can’t remove it with Ella sitting on her lap. Ella’s lips move from Erin’s lips to her neck again and eventually down to her chest. Her hands work at undoing the three buttons on Erin’s pants. She slips her right hand into Erin pants making her moan. “Ella.”

“Shh.” Ella whispers and kisses Erin again. Her tongue works its magic in Erin’s mouth while her fingers work their own magic further south.

* * *

 

Erin flops back onto the bed exhausted, but in the best way. She covers her eyes with her forearm, trying to catch her breath. Erin reaches out with her other hand and pulls Ella down on top of her. “What- was that?” She asks.

Ella just laughs and kisses her sweetly. “You’re welcome.” She says.

Erin removes her arm from her eyes. “I didn’t say thank you but thank you, thank you, thank you.” She kisses Ella on the forehead. “I love you.” She says with a pleased smile.

“I love you too.” Ella says back.

They both lay in silence for a while enjoying that post-sex feeling. Erin breaks the silence. “What did you want to tell me before?” She’s curious. Ella shrugs against her. “You seemed really excited about it.” Erin adds.

“My dad and I are going to ask the royal court to change a few of the kingdoms laws.” Ella tells her. “Nothing’s set in stone but I’m hopeful that some changes will be taking place soon.” Ella plays with Erin’s hair, twirling it in her fingers.

“Like what?” Erin’s asks, intrigued.

Ella ducks her head away from Erin. “Like, some marriage laws. Ya know, changing the law about marrying beneath your class. Making it not- illegal.” Ella says shyly.

Erin absolutely loves the woman lying in her arms. “You’re so cute.” Erin tells her, kissing the top of her head. She knows what Ella is saying without actually saying it. And she’s fine with that. One day she hopes that when the laws change that will be the case. But Erin thinks about the here and now. “We should probably get dressed.” Erin says.

Ella picks up her head from Erin’s shoulder. “I am dressed.” She smirks.

Erin smirks back naughtily. “I could change that.” She offers.

“No. No. This- today was about you.” Ella reassures her.

“Okay.” She kisses Ella. “I’ll get dressed and then tie your nightgown back up.” Ella nods. They both sit up. “I saw your mother last night.” Erin says while putting her shirt back on.

“When?” Ella asks helping Erin with her vest.

“When I was leaving here. I ran into her in the hallway.” She tells Ella.

“What happened?”

Erin knows what she means. Ella is asking if the Queen said or did anything that she wouldn’t like. “She just said goodnight to me. She wasn’t mean about it and didn’t say anything that would upset me- or you. She seemed rather indifferent about meeting me in the hallway.” Erin tells Ella while tying the back of her nightgown.

“Hmm.” Ella hums. “She hasn’t said anything to me about it. Not that she would, necessarily.”

“I just thought I would tell you.” Erin says, kissing Ella’s cheek when she’s finished tying.

“Thank you.” Ella smiles. “Maybe she’s coming around to the idea of- us.” Ella motions between the two of them.

“That would be nice.” Erin grins, hopeful. “You deserve to have your mom accept you.” Erin wraps Ella in her arms.

“Us.” Ella corrects. “You and me, Erin. Together. Us. You’re a part of me.” Ella looks up at Erin.

Erin nods. “I know. Us. It’s just something I’m getting used to, too.” Erin tells Ella honestly. “I never thought- you’re amazing. I never thought something like this- like us- could be possible.” Erin says vulnerably. “I’m so lucky. Every day I feel grateful for everything that I have. That includes you. I feel like things happen for a reason. Even if we don’t understand the reason right away. You are that reason. You’re the reason why I’m where I am today. You’re the reason I came to this castle. You’re the reason I went through everything that I did. Being homeless, an orphan, dressing as a man. It was all to get to right here. With you.” Erin sees the tears in Ella’s eyes.

“So sweet.” Ella says, starting to cry.

“It’s the truth. I’ve never been more vulnerable. But whatever happens, I know that it’s all because of you. Whatever happens in the future, in my lifetime, it’s for and because of you. It’s meant to be.” Erin wipes the tears from Ella’s cheeks as they fall. “I love you, Ella. I will forever.”

Ella collapses against Erin’s chest. Erin holds her and rubs her back until Ella calms down. Ella’s fingers play with Erin’s vest and she looks up through her eyelashes. “I love you so so much. Words don’t do it justice. You- and your words. The emotion you put into them. It’s beautiful- you’re beautiful. Inside and out. Thank you.” Ella chuckles. “I don’t know how you’re so good with words and I’m not. I’ve studied words for years but don’t think I could say something so beautiful. I love you with everything that I’ve got. I could tell you I love you til I’m blue in the face, but it wouldn’t be enough. Just know that no matter what- our love will prevail.” Ella says.

“I know, my love, I know.” Erin leans down and kisses Ella speechless.

* * *

 

Ella is having breakfast with the King and Queen. “Has that boy fully recovered yet?” The Queen asks. Ella is surprised that the Queen brought up Erin, to say the least.

“Erin has.” Ella confirms as she thinks about the previous night’s activities. Ella never would have started something if she thought Erin wasn’t fully recovered and ready for it.

The Queen nods and goes on to her next question. “How are your afternoon sessions going?”

“I’m impressed with Ella’s willingness to learn. She’s intelligent and has a good head on her shoulders. She will make a great leader one day.” The King shares his feelings on the matter.

“Good. I don’t think I’d ever want to be a leader of this kingdom or any kingdom. Seems like too much work for me.” The Queen turns up her nose at being a leader.

King William chuckles. “That’s why you take care of all the behind the scenes stuff.” By that he means decorating and designing the rooms around the castle.

“I’m excited to learn as much as possible.” Ella says.

Her father is thrilled with this. He’s trilled she wants to know everything about the castle, how it runs, about the kingdom, and what he does. He thinks his daughter will make a great successor.

“We should have a dinner to celebrate your new endeavors.” The Queen announces.

“We have dinner together every day.” Ella mumbles. She doesn’t see the point in it.

“I know. But this will be a special dinner. You should invite Aaron.” The Queen suggests.

Carm starts coughing in the corner, not believing what the Queen just suggested. Her presence in the room becoming starkly clear. Ella’s eyes are wide; she looks over at Carm.

The King nods. “That’s a fabulous idea, my love.” He says to the Queen. He’s thrilled that the Queen wants to invited Erin to dinner. He sees it as a step in the right direction. “Let’s do it.” William says with finality.

Ella’s face slowly goes from shock to a delighted smile as the words sink in. “Okay.” She agrees dumbly.

She sits anxiously in her chair for the remainder of her breakfast. She just wants to find Erin and tell her about the conversation she had with her parents at breakfast. About them having dinner with her parents. About her mother acknowledging Erin and asking about her. Ella thinks it’s a big step. When she’s done eating she motions for Carm to meet her outside the room when she’s done cleaning up Ella’s dishes.

Carm quickly takes care of the breakfast dishes and finds Ella just outside the kitchen. “Where is Erin?” Ella asks.

Carm shrugs. “How should I know?”

Ella huffs a frustrated breath. “I need to talk to her.”

“Well, what do you want me to do?” Carm throws her hands in the air. “Erin could be anywhere on the property.”

“We have to find her.” Ella says.

“What?” Carm can’t believe this. “No, this isn’t an emergency, Ella. This- while- very interesting- isn’t an emergency. It doesn’t deserve a wild goose chase. We aren’t sending out a search party.” Carm tells Ella.

Ella hangs her head. She knows Carm is right but still.

“You know what. I’ll talk to Erin at lunch.” Carm offers. “You could meet with her in the garden after lunch. I know her and Ben still clean-up the garden every day, even if you don’t go there anymore. How’s that sound?” It’s the best she can offer in this situation.

“I don’t know if I can wait that long.” Ella whines.

Carm laughs. “Wow.” She says. “Just wow.” She shakes her head. “It’s either that or you wait til the end of the day.” She reminds the princess.

Ella shakes her head. She doesn’t want that. “Lunch is good.” She’ll have to suck it up and wait. “What’s on tap for this morning?” She smoothly changes the subject.

“You have a horseback riding lesson.” Carm chuckles.

“Okay. Let’s go.” Ella leads them out to the stables.


	19. Chapter 19

Erin is eating her lunch when Carm sits down next to her. “Hey, buddy. You still clean the garden with Ben every day after lunch?” She asks. In all honesty, she doesn’t know if Ben and Erin clean the garden everyday anymore now that Ella doesn’t use it every day.

“Yeah, why?” Erin quirks an eyebrow in Carm’s direction.

“The princess is gonna meet you there after lunch.” Carm says and starts eating.

“Why?” Erin asks curiously. That’s not usual protocol.

“She has to tell you something.” Carm grins. “Don’t worry. It’s good news- I think.” Carm thinks about it for a second. “I’ll just let you be the judge of that.” Carm returns to her meal.

Erin wonders what Carm means. She doesn’t want to think about it too much and work herself into a frenzy but can’t help wonder what Carm means and what Ella needs to tell her that couldn’t wait until the end of the day.

* * *

 

Erin has worked herself up. She didn’t want to but she has. She waits for Ella more than she works on cleaning the garden. And when she sees the princess approaching she goes over to her. Erin grabs onto Ella’s upper arm. She won’t touch her more than that out in the open, but she needs to hold onto her somehow.

“What’s wrong?” Erin asks right away.

Ella squints at Erin. “Nothing.” She says.

“Carm said-“ Erin trails off.

“Carm said I had something to tell you. I do. Can we sit for a few minutes?” Ella asks and Erin nods. “Good afternoon, Ben.” Ella greets him.

“Afternoon, Princess.” Ben returns.

They walk past Ben, away from him so he doesn’t hear them talking. They go to the opposite end of the garden to talk. Ella sits on the bench and Erin sits next to her a little way away. “So?” Erin is anxious to hear the news.

“I was having breakfast with my parents this morning. We were discussing my role in the castle, kingdom. My future role. Me learning with my dad. And my mother suggested that we have a celebratory family dinner.” Ella smiles real big.

“That’s great, El.” Erin says. “But, I don’t-“

Ella presses her finger to Erin’s lips to silence her. “My mom brought you up in conversation. She suggested I invite you to dinner.” Ella’s smile beams brightly.

“What?” Erin’s jaw hangs open. “Really?” She asks, unbelieving it.

Ella nods vigorously. “Yeah. She asked about you and how you were doing. Without being prompted or anything. I think she’s coming around. And this dinner. It’s a huge step.” Ella tells Erin excitedly.

“I don’t know Ella. Is this a good time? I don’t want to intrude on your family celebration.” Erin is unsure if she wants to go through with this.

Ella looks down and takes Erin’s hand before locking eyes with her again. “Remember what I told you. Erin, you are my family. I want you there.”

That’s all Erin needs to hear. She smiles at Ella. “Okay.”

“Great.” Ella squeezes her hand. “I’ll let you get back to work now.” She says and let’s go of Erin’s hand.

Erin nods and stands. “See you tonight?”

Ella nods. “You bet.” She gets up from the bench.

Erin offers a hand and gestures for the princess to exit before her. Ella walks past Erin and out of the garden. Erin follows behind Ella and over to Ben and gets back to work.

“What was that about?” Ben asks.

Erin didn’t think he would say anything. She needs to think of something quick. “I- uh- the princess wanted some information on her personal servant.” Erin lies.

“Carm?” Ben asks. “What did Carm do?”

“Yeah.” Erin feels bad for throwing Carm into this. “The princess is suspicious of her for some reason. I don’t know what’s going on really. She just asked if I knew anything.” Erin tries to play it off.

“Ah, okay.” Ben nods. He doesn’t really believe what Erin is telling him but he won’t put up more fuss about it.

* * *

 

Erin’s sitting on the edge of the bed. She’s thought about what Ella told her in the garden after lunch. The more she thinks about it the more nervous she gets. Erin doesn’t know if she could handle dinner with the King and Queen. She doesn’t see it going well. She needs to talk to Ella about it as soon as possible.

Carm enters the room with the tea tray. Erin expects Ella to follow but she doesn’t. “Where’s Ella?” She asks.

“She’s talking to her parents.” Carm informs the groundskeeper. “She told me to come up here.” Erin nods. “They were discussing their family dinner.”

“Okay.” Erin looks down at the floor.

Carm catches on to Erin’s mood. “What’s wrong, buddy?” She asks.

“It’s nothing.” Erin tries to brush it off.

“Is this about the dinner?” Carm asks, sitting down on the bed next to Erin.

“Yeah.”

“You’re nervous?” Carm asks.

Erin looks to Carm. “Yeah.” She nods.

“I’m sure it’ll be fine. You talk it over with Ella. You guys will figure it out.” Carm pats Erin on the back.

“I know.” She says, but she’s still nervous about it.

Carm cleans up the room and Erin waits on the bed for Ella. She arrives after a few minutes. Ella walks over to Erin right away and kisses her.

“You wanna change right away?” Carm asks with her face in the closet.

“Yeah.” Ella mumbles. “What’s wrong, honey?” She catches on to Erin’s mood as well. “You’re so tense.”

Erin shrugs. “We need to talk.” She says to her, looking directly into Ella’s eyes.

Ella sees Erin’s worry. “Okay, let me get changed first.” She kisses Erin again and goes to change.

The room is quiet while the princess gets ready for the evening. Carm pours the tea and makes her exit after Ella is all situated. “Good night, ladies.” Carm bids farewell.

Ella walks over to the bed and gets into it. “Alright.” She leans back against the headboard and pulls her nightgown skirt up to her thighs and spreads her legs. “Come here.” Erin looks over from her spot on the edge of the bed. Ella pats the spot between her legs. Erin moves to sit between Ella’s legs with a tiny smile on her face. The princess takes Erin’s cap off. She brushes Erin’s hair to the side and presses her lips to her side of Erin’s neck. “Relax.” She whispers. Erin leans back into Ella’s body and sighs. Ella runs her palms over Erin’s shoulders, down her arms, to her hands. She locks her fingers between Erin’s and brings their hands up to Erin’s chest, crossing them. Sort of wrapping Erin up, holding her with both their arms. “Now.” Ella kisses Erin’s neck again. “Tell me what’s going on in that head of yours.” She whispers into Erin’s ear.

“The dinner. I don’t think I can do it.” Erin admits.

“Why?” Ella asks.

“Cuz of your mom. Cuz I get nervous. Cuz she hates me. Cuz I have a bad feeling about it.” Erin mumbles feeling awful that she doesn’t want to do it and knows she’s disappointing Ella.

“Okay. I hear you. I get what you’re saying. I do. But, I think this could be good. My mother, she might not be the warmest person, but I think she’s coming around. I think this dinner could only help that. But if you don’t want to go then I won’t make you.” Ella kisses Erin’s ear. “I won’t make you do anything you don’t want to.”

Erin nods. She feels two ways about this. She knows this could be a big step for her with Ella’s parents but she is scared at the same time that it could all go to shit so easily. She doesn’t want to but her mind goes back to the Queen throwing her out. “I don’t wanna have to leave again.” Erin mumbles.

“What are you-“ Ella starts but her thoughts catch up. “Oh.” Ella wraps her arms tighter around Erin. “That’s not gonna happened, Erin. I promise. Nothing’s gonna happen to you. I won’t let that happen.” She kisses Erin’s cheek. “I love you.” She says.

Erin’s eyes fill with tears. “I love you, too.” She says shakily.

Ella hears the tears in her voice. “I won’t let anything happen to you. Ever.” Ella says. “Neither will my dad. If you don’t want to go, okay. But I still think it could be good. And if it’s not. We’ll leave. You and me. If dinner goes to shit. We will leave the room together. Okay?” Ella asks.

Erin nods. She’s still unsure about this whole dinner thing.

“It’ll be fine.” Ella kisses her again. “Trust me.”

“I do.” Erin says with confidence. She trusts Ella wholeheartedly. “I’m just scared.” She voices.

Ella sighs. “Hey.” She tilts Erin’s head to the side. “Look at me.” She says. “I know but have a little faith. I’ve seen some changes in my mother in recent days.” She tells Erin. “All you have to do is be yourself and they’ll love you. That’s how I fell in love with you. You just being yourself. That’s all you need to do. I’ll take care of the rest.”

Erin nods. “Okay.” Ella seals it with a kiss. “Ella?”

“Yeah?” Ella replies.

“When is this dinner?” Erin asks.

Ella smiles. They haven’t even discussed that yet. “Tomorrow night.” She says. Erin nods. “Does that work for you?” Ella asks playfully.

Erin chuckles. “It’s gonna have to. Right?” Erin looks up at Ella with a small smile.

“Yeah, I guess.” Ella chuckles.

Erin sticks around Ella’s room a little while longer before returning to her cot for the night.

* * *

 

Erin hurries into the servant’s quarters after her work day. She gets her nice new shirt and changes into it. Carm gave her instructions at lunch for what to do. She’s supposed to meet Carm in the kitchen at dinner time.

“Hello, Aaron.” Thomas greets. “Looking good.” He compliments Erin’s shirt.

“Thanks.”

“Why you so dressed up? Got a hot date?” Thomas teases.

“Not exactly.” Erin tells him.

“Then what?” He asks. Servant’s don’t just dress up unless there’s a reason.

That’s when Carm walks in and saves Erin. “Ready to go?” She asks, interrupting Erin and Thomas’s conversation.

“Yeah.” Erin nods.

“Let’s go.” Carm guides Erin out of the room and into the dining room. It’s not the Great Hall but still has a table for eight.

Ella is already seated. “Hi.” She looks over to Erin as she walks up. “You get to sit next to me.” She says.

“Okay.” Erin nods and pulls the chair out so she can sit down. Erin sits at the table with her back stiff.

“My parents will be in in a few minutes.” Erin nods that she heard Ella. “How was your day?” Ella asks, reaching out and wrapping her hand around Erin’s forearm.

“G-good.” Erin stutters.

“Are you nervous?” Ella asks, forgetting about Erin’s day and focusing on the here and now.

“Yes.” Erin nods.

“Erin.” Ella sighs. “I know me saying it doesn’t help much but don’t be nervous.”

Erin is trying, she’s really trying not to be nervous but she can’t help it. “I can’t help it. I want this to go well. I do. Just like you do but I’m nervous.”

Ella reaches for Erin’s hand, taking it, and pulling it into her lap under the table. “You’ll be fine. Just remember what I said. Just be yourself.”

At that moment the King and Queen walk in, followed by their servants. Erin tries to let go of Ella’s hand but Ella won’t let her. They share a look as Ella’s parents take their seats.

King William starts up the conversation. “Aaron, it’s nice of you to join us for dinner today.” He puts his napkin on his lap.

Ella squeezes Erin’s hand. Erin swallows nervously. “It’s a pleasure to be here.” Erin says. She wants to say something along the line of ‘it’s a pleasure to be allowed to be here’ but doesn’t. She knows that Ella and the King are in the process of changing some of the laws.

“We are glad to have you join us. We are starting something new and exciting here in the kingdom and you are a big part of that. My daughter, here, thinks very highly of you. I’ve never seen her so happy. She’s found someone who is a great partner. Someone who she trusts, adores, and loves. I’ve had the opportunity to spend a lot more time with Ella in recent days and weeks. She never stops talking about you. It’s a special thing. I can see that. What you two have together is special. And that should be celebrated. And that’s what we’re gonna do here tonight. We are celebrating that and the progress that Ella has made in learning how the kingdom operates. It’s a night of celebration. Eat. Drink. And be merry.” The King raises his glass in the air. The three others at the table all raise their glasses, clinking them together.

The servants come in from the kitchen with the food, bringing it to the table. They all eat and talk about basic thing. Towards the end of the meal the King asks Erin how she likes her job. She tells him about the things she likes doing and working on and then the things she doesn’t enjoy doing. But Erin says that she enjoys her job overall and that she loves being outside even with it getting cooler out.

“That’s good.” King William says. “You and Ben have been doing a fine job of it. But things are about to change around here. You know that, right?”

Erin nods. “Yes, sir. I do.” She knows to some degree but maybe not completely.

“You might not be doing groundskeeping soon if Ella has anything to say about it.” William smiles over at his daughter.

Erin looks over at Ella too. She shrugs and smiles. “But we’re not there yet.”

The King nods and drinks from his wine glass. Erin has had enough wine during dinner to calm her nerves. She feels good about how the dinner is going so far.

“Aaron.” The Queen speaks up, getting Erin attention. “Everyone in this room knows about you and my daughter.” The Queen turns to the servants and glares at them. “A fact that doesn’t leave this room.” She threatens and the servants all nod, sworn to secrecy. “And William seems to have high praise for you. I, on the other hand, have concerns. I want you to be honest with me. What are your intentions regarding my daughter?” The Queen questions Erin.

Erin looks over at Ella. Ella smiles. “It’s okay. Go ahead.” Ella encourages Erin to tell the Queen. They’ve spoken about everything that’s happening, about the future, so Erin knows just what to say.

Erin takes a deep breath. “I love your daughter very much. I have only good things in mind for her. Ella is a special woman. Smart. Headstrong. Fearless. Stubborn. And she is passionate about everything she does. When she puts her mind to a task she does everything she needs to see it through to the end.”

Ella puts her hand on Erin’s thigh and squeezes. Erin looks over at Ella briefly before focusing on the Queen again. “It never mattered to me that she was the princess. That is always at the back of my mind when we are together. So, I’m not in this for a crown or a title or money. I’m a simple person, who just happens to have found myself here and fallen in love with Ella. It’s a pure and honest love. And while I knew it was against the rules, I couldn’t stop my feelings. And I know Ella feels the same.”

“I do.” Ella cuts in. They share a look.

“Anyway, I have only the best of intentions for your daughter. One day, when things have changed, I hope to marry her.” Erin says and Ella beams at this.

“Oh my.” The King sighs happily, holding his hand over his heart. “We’re keeping him.” William says to the Queen, jokingly.

Ella laughs with her father. The wine affecting them both.

“Very well.” The Queen says curtly. “I may not have giving you a fair chance in the beginning. But I stand behind my decisions. That being said, I owe you an apology.” The Queen tells Erin. “So, I’m sorry.”

Ella gets out of her chair and goes over to her mother and wraps her up in a hug. “Thank you.” Ella mumbles into her mother’s hair. She goes back to her seat after the hug and presses a kiss to Erin’s temple causing Erin’s face to turn bright red.

“Aww.” The King coos.

“Thank you.” Erin says shyly to the Queen.

“More wine.” King William cheers. He’s clearly drunk. His servant, Andrew, refills his wine glass.

Erin laughs at the King. He seems very happy. A happy drunk. Erin, on the other hand, hasn’t had any more wine since she finished eating. She’s never had large amounts of wine and doesn’t want to start tonight and risk making a fool of herself in front of Ella’s parents. Ella, though, has had a large amount of wine. She’s not as far gone as her father, but Erin can tell the princess is definitely drunk.

The King starts singing loudly, clearly off in his own world. Erin watches as he gets up and dances around while singing. It’s quiet amusing. The Queen sits in her chair with a smile on her face watching her husband. She hasn’t had hardly anything to drink this evening. The Queen is all business tonight. But she enjoys her husband’s antics.

Erin feels something on her arm and looks down. Her hand rests on the table and Ella’s finger play with her arm. She looks up at Ella, who smiles lopsided at her. Erin smiles back. Drunk Ella is cute, she thinks. Ella moves her chair closer to Erin’s after she gets Erin’s attention. She wraps her hand under Erin’s arm and locks her hand in Erin’s. The princess leans over and rests her head on Erin’s shoulder. Erin chuckles and presses a kiss to Ella’s forehead.

* * *

 

Erin helps Carm get Ella up to her room and into bed after dinner. They talk while getting a sleepy, drunk Ella changed. “I’d say tonight went pretty well.” Carm laughs.

“It went better than I expected. Then again all I expected was a total disaster. So yeah.” Erin laughs. “I got to see a side of this one that I’ve never seen before. So that was interesting.” She tells Carm.

“Yeah, and the King was clearly having a great time.” Carm adds. “The Queen even seems to have warmed up to you.” Carm smiles over at Erin. She knows Erin was worried most about the Queen hating her.

“Yeah. I think tonight was a success.”

"It was." Ella adds in.

Carm nods in agreement. “You gonna stay here tonight?” She asks.

“I think so. I want to talk to Ella in the morning.” Erin thinks about it. But maybe Ella won’t want to do much talking in the morning on account of tonight. “If she gets up before I have to go to work, that is.”

Carm hums. They get Ella over to the bed. Erin goes to get the tea from the bedside table. She knows it will be better for Ella tomorrow morning if she drinks the tea tonight.

“No. Don’t go.” Ella whines. Carm laughs at her.

“I’m just getting your tea.” Erin explains.

“Oh. Okay.” Ella says. Carm helps Ella sit with her back to the headboard.

“I got it from here, Carm. Have a good night.” Erin tells her.

“Thanks, buddy.” Carm tells Erin. “I’ll be back in the morning.” She says to Ella.

Ella nods and takes her tea from Erin. Erin gets into bed next to Ella and pulls the covers over their legs. “Drink your tea and then we’ll go to sleep.” She tells Ella. Ella nods and starts sipping her tea. Erin takes her cap off and puts it on the bed post. Ella cuddles into her side and Erin wraps her arm around Ella and holds her close. They sit in silence as Ella drinks her tea and Erin rubs gently up and down Ella’s arm.

“Tonight was great. You did great. I love you.” Ella simplifies the dinner, the evening.

Erin kisses her temple. “I love you. And thank you for encouraging me tonight. I couldn’t have done it without you.” She tells Ella, who smiles over at Erin and leans in for a kiss.

* * *

 

The next morning Erin wakes up late. Ella is still sound asleep and she doesn’t want to disturb her. Erin slips out of bed, puts on her cap and shoes. She kisses Ella’s forehead and slips out of the room silently. Erin meets Carm in the hallway. “She’s still asleep.” Erin says.

“Have a good day.” Carm nods as the pass each other.

“Okay, thanks. You too.” Erin hurries down to breakfast. There are still a few stragglers eating. Erin eats quickly and makes her way out to find Ben. He’s waiting by the shed when she gets out there. “Sorry, I’m a little late.” Erin apologizes right away.

“Yeah. Let’s get to work.” Ben says, leading Erin off in the direction of the woods behind the castle property. “We’re gonna be chopping and splitting wood today to add to the wood pile.” Ben informs Erin.

“Okay.” Erin nods.

“I wanted to wait til it was cooler out.” Ben says in relation to the weather. Summer is now over. The days are shorter and cooler. It’s perfect for working. The winters at the castle aren’t too cold but they still need firewood for even the cool days.

“I like the cooler days.” Erin tells Ben.

“Good cuz we have lots to do.”

“Let’s do it. I’m ready.” Erin nearly cheers. She’s always excited when she gets to learn a new task.

They work all day at chopping and splitting firewood for the castle. Erin has her dinner and does what has become regular and goes up to the princess bedroom with tea. She wants to talk to Ella about the dinner the night before.

Ella and Carm arrive a few minutes after Erin does. She stands from her place at the bed and meets Ella in the middle of the room with a kiss. “How was your day?” She asks.

“Good but I’m still feeling the side effects of last night.” Ella says.

Erin chuckles. “You had quite a bit of wine last night.”

Ella nods. “I know.”

Carm unties the back of Ella’s dress and Erin helps Ella out it while Carm gets a nightgown from the closet. “Did you have a good time last night?” Erin asks.

“Yeah.” Ella nods. “I did. I think it went well. What do you think?” Ella asks.

“I thnk it went better than I thought it could. I’m very pleased. And your dad is a hoot.” Erin tells Ella.

“A hoot?” Ella raises an eyebrow.

“Yeah, like he’s fun, funny. That sort of thing. A hoot.” Erin explains.

“You make him sound like a bird.” Ella says.

Carm comes up to Ella with a nightgown laughing. “Let’s get this on you.”

“Okay.”

Erin goes over to the bedside table and pours Ella’s tea. Once it’s poured, she sits on the edge of the bed with it in her hands. Ella gets changed and they all talk for a bit before Carm leaves. Erin and Ella cuddle up in bed and Ella wrap herself around Erin’s body.

“I can’t believe last night happened. It was like a dream.” Ella comments.

“It was real.” Erin tells her.

“My parents, everyone got along. Other than my mom questioning you. Which you handled extremely well, by the way.” Ella says.

“I was just being honest with what I was saying. I was being myself. Like you said I should.” Erin smiles, proud that she handled the dinner so well.

“I know. I’m glad.” Ella kisses Erin. “I hope this is a good sign for the future as far as family gatherings go.” She smiles proud. She couldn’t be happier that her mother was at least civil with Erin at dinner. She doesn’t have to worry about her dad around Erin. She knows he has fully accepted their relationship. He’s always asking about Erin when they spend their afternoon together.

* * *

 

The days progress and a few weeks pass by in a flash. Ella and the King get the new laws passed through the royal court. They celebrate that night at dinner with wine and food.

Carm brings Ella to her room afterwards. She’s drunk. Erin is there to catch her as Carm hands her off.

“I have neeeewwwws.” Ella slurs.

Erin smiles and thinks that Ella is cute but doesn’t comment on it. Erin waits for the news instead. Ella kisses her and Erin can taste the wine on her lips. “What’s the news?” She asks after a rather involved kiss.

Erin remembers Carm is still in the room with them and doesn’t want to get carried away. Plus, Ella is quiet drunk.

“We passed the new laws today.” Ella says with a proud smile.

“That’s great, El.” Erin kisses her chastely.

“Time to change.” Carm interrupts them.

They start the changing process. “I love you.” Ella slurs.

Carm laughs and so does Erin. “I love you too, Ella.” Erin holds Ella by the shoulders as Carm does most of the work. The princess is very unsteady on her feet.

“I love you too, Carm.”

Carm grins. “I love you too, buddy.” Carm pokes Ella on the nose before going around to her back to tie Ella’s nightgown. “Now, time for bed.” Carm tells the princess.

Ella’s eyes widen. She’s looking directly at Erin.

“What?” Erin asks.

Ella smirks and leans towards Erin. Erin allows her closer and Ella whisper in her ear. “I’ll tell you when Carm’s gone.” It’s not really a whisper though and Carm hears everything that Ella says.

Carm laughs. “I’ll leave you two alone.” She says and exits the room.

“Let’s go to bed.” Erin says.

“Yes. Lets.” Ella agrees.

Erin helps Ella into bed. She just hopes Ella didn’t drink too much and would get sick from it. She’s seen that before in the homeless shelter. It’s not a pleasant thing and she doesn’t want to have to deal with that. But, knows if that were the case she would do whatever she needed to take care of Ella.

“We passed the law. You know the one.” Ella mumbles. Now that she’s in bed she finds that she’s a little sleepy.

“I do. But what does that mean exactly?” Erin questions. She knows Ella is happy and excited about passing the new law but she doesn’t know the true meaning of the law.

“It means we can get married. Do you wanna get married?” Ella asks.

“Right now?” Erin asks.

Ella thinks for a minute. “Well, maybe not right now. But soon. In a couple months maybe.” Ella ponders aloud.

“Yeah, Maybe in a couple months. Not right away though. I want to marry you, don’t get me wrong. But, if we did it now it would seem rushed and- and- I don’t know the word I’m looking for. Let’s let the laws settle with the kingdom and its citizens for a while.” Erin says.

“You’re so smart.” Ella kisses Erin’s neck. Her kisses roam the skin; they wander further south to Erin’s collarbone that peeks out of the top of her shirt.

“Ella.” Erin says, trying to stop the princess. In her mind she knows to stop this but her body is saying something else. “Ella. Stop. Please.” Erin says more forcefully.

Ella looks up at her with hazy hazel eyes. Erin almost gives in at the look in Ella’s eyes but remembers the promise she made to Ella a long time ago. One of the first time Erin was in Ella’s room, before they even really knew each other. Though then it was in a different sense than it is now, the promise is still the same.

“Not tonight.” Erin says, brushing the hair away from Ella’s face, tucking in behind her right ear.

“You don’t want to-“ Ella hiccups, starting to get upset a little.

“It’s not that, Ella. You are drunk. If you weren’t-“ Erin says.

“So, this is my fault?” Ella whimpers.

“What? No. Come here.” Erin wraps Ella in her arms, pulling her to her chest. “It’s not your fault. No one’s at fault.” She kisses the top of Ella’s head. Ella rubs her face against Erin’s shirt and a few tears leak out from her eyes. “Please, don’t cry. We can’t. I made a promise to you and I won’t break that promise. Ever.” Erin presses more kisses to Ella’s head. She thinks Ella has fallen asleep after a couple minutes.

But, Ella was just collecting herself and stopping her tears. She lifts her head from Erin’s chest and looks up at her. “Sweet like honey.” She says. Ella feels and seems more sober now. “Thank you. I love you.” Ella leans in for a kiss which Erin meets her for.

“I love you. You understand?” Erin asks carefully.

“I do.” Ella smiles. “Stay with me tonight, though.” Ella asks.

“Done.” Erin seals it with another kiss.

“Goodnight, honey.” Ella lays her head back down against Erin’s chest.

“Goodnight.” Erin kisses the top of Ella’s head once more.

* * *

 

A few days later Erin is running late in the evening. She’s on her way to Ella’s room. She meets the King and Queen at the top of the stairs on the way there. “Good evening.” Erin says to them.

“Good evening, Aaron.” The Queen replies kindly.

“How was your day? Are you having a good evening?” Erin asks.

King William wraps his arm around his wife’s waist. “Yes. Thanks for asking, Aaron. We were just headed to our room for the night.” He tells Erin.

Erin nods. “Don’t let me get in the way.” She passes by them with the tea tray in hand. “Have a good one.” She calls over her shoulder. Erin’s much more relaxed around the King and Queen now. It’s nice.

“Thanks, dear. You too.” The Queen calls back.

Erin enters Ella’s room with a big smile on her face. “Hey.” She says, bringing the tea to the bedside table.

“What has you all smiley?” Carm asks. She’s sitting on the end of the bed.

Erin leans down and kisses Ella. “I just saw your parents in the hall. It wasn’t anything but we had a pleasant little conversation in passing. It made me feel good.” Erin stands and smiles over at Carm before returning her attention to Ella. Their eyes connect, smiles in them. Ella reaches up and grabs a fistful of Erin’s shirt and pulls her down to her. Ella kisses her passionately.

“That’s my cue to leave.” Carm chuckles and gets off the bed. “See ya tomorrow.” With that she’s gone out the door.

Erin climbs onto the bed, straddling the princess’s legs, and sitting in her lap. Ella removes Erin’s cap and vest as they exchange heatedkisses. Hands roaming over each other searching for skin on skin contact. Clothes are discarded onto the floor until there’s nothing left between their bodies.

* * *

 

Ella and Erin are asleep in bed together. Erin stayed with the princess after their activities. It’s the middle of the night.

Ella is awakened by a noise. She pops up into a sitting position in bed. Something loud woke her up. “Erin.” She nudges Erin.

Erin is only half awake when the noise that Ella heard rings out again.

A scream.

A piercing scream.

Erin jumps up immediately and out of bed. She grabs her pants and quickly puts them on. There’s another scream. She looks to Ella. “You stay here.” She tells the princess.

“But?” Ella tries to argue.

“NO.” Erin buttons her pants. “You stay in bed. Don’t leave room. I’ll be back.” Erin runs to the door in her stocking feet, white shirt, and pants.

“Erin.” Ella says with concern. Erin looks over her shoulder at the princess before turning back to the door and pulling it open.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cliffhanger... ahhhh


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning graphic content: violence, blood

_Erin is only half awake when the noise that Ella heard rings out again._

_A scream._

_A piercing scream._

_Erin jumps up immediately and out of bed. She grabs her pants and quickly puts them on. There’s another scream. She looks to Ella. “You stay here.” She tells the princess._

_“But?” Ella tries to argue._

_“NO.” Erin buttons her pants. “You stay in bed. Don’t leave the room. I’ll be back.” Erin runs to the door in her stocking feet, white shirt, and pants._

_“Erin.” Ella says with concern. Erin looks over her shoulder at the princess before turning back to the door and pulling it open._

Just as she opens the door she sees a masked person running past the door, down the hall, towards the stairs. Erin runs after them. The person is on the stairs when Erin gets there. She looks around quickly. The stairs open up into the entry. She spots the guard sitting on his stool by the front door.

“Get him.” Erin yells. It works and gets the guards attention. The night guard jumps from his stool. Erin starts down the stair after the masked man and the guard runs towards them. They corner the masked man at the bottom of the stairs. Erin behind him and the guard in front, blocking his escape.

The masked man, looks over his shoulder at Erin, then to the guard in front of him. He lunges toward the right of the guard. The guard is quick though and goes low for the masked man’s legs.

Erin, at the same time, jumps from the stairs onto the man’s back. They all fall to the floor in a heap. Erin gets a hold of one arm and the guard the other.

The man is small and skinny. They tie the man’s hands together behind his back with the guard’s rope and then they tie him to the staircase base post. Erin pulls the mask from his face finally. That’s when they hear the screams again.

Erin looks up the stairs. “He can wait. Let’s go.” Erin runs up the stairs with the guard following closely behind her. They go to the screams, passing the princess’s room. Erin is relieved that the door is still closed. But that doesn’t mean too much. She refocuses. The screams continue.

Erin pushes the door of the King and Queen’s room open. The first thing she sees is Ella standing at the foot of the bed in her nightgown with her back to them. Next, she sees the Queen standing on the right side of the bed looking down at it. Then, she sees it.

The King laying on the bed, a knife stuck in his chest. A pool of blood soaking into the blankets and mattress around him.

“Holy shit.” The guard mumbles beside her.

That gets the Queen and Princess’s attention and they look over. Erin steps fully into the room. “Shut the door.” She tells the guard. Erin goes over to the left side of the bed. It’s a brutal, gruesome mess. She sees the King up close and knows right away. Erin check for a pulse anyway. First at the wrist and then at the neck.

“Should we get help? A nurse? Doctor?” The young guard asks.

Erin shakes her head. “No. There’s no need.” She turns to the guard. He looks back at her with terror. “This is very important so listen to me closely.” The young guard nods. “Go find Francis. Tell him you apprehended an intruder and tell him to come to the King and Queen’s room. Don’t talk to anyone else. Tell Francis to get two of his men to hold the intruder while he comes here. Tell him where you tied up the intruder. Don’t say anything more or anything less than that. Then you come back here and stand guard at the door. Don’t let anyone in beside the people that are in the room now and Francis. Okay?” Erin commands.

The guard nods. “Okay.”

“Now go. Hurry.” Erin tells the guard.

The guard leaves the room and Erin looks to Ella first. She’s standing there in shock. Erin wants to say something about how Ella was supposed to stay in her room but knows it’s futile. Ella’s stubborn and independent and with the Queen’s screaming Erin knows Ella couldn’t just stay in her bed.

Erin turns to the Queen. She’s as white as a ghost. Erin gets a chair and brings it over to the Queen. She helps the Queen sit down before she falls over from her shock. Erin goes to Ella when she has the Queen situated.

“Ella, babe?” Ella looks at Erin. Her eyes are glazed over, empty. Erin wraps her arms around Ella’s waist. All of Ella’s weight then fall onto Erin. Erin holds her up as Ella buries her face in Erin’s neck. Erin spots another chair in the corner of the room and moves them towards it. She sets Ella down in the chair gently.

That’s when Francis enters the room. “Shit.” He mumbles.

Erin presses a kiss to Ella forehead. “I have to talk to Francis.” She whispers.

Francis stands on the left side of the bed. Erin moves to the spot next to him. “Is he?” Francis asks.

“Yes. He’s gone.” Erin confirms.

“Shit.” Francis mumbles again.

“What happens now?” Erin asks looking at the body on the bed.

“Lots.” Francis thinks through everything that’s about to happen. “First, we deal with the situation in here. Then I will have someone wake Simon. Or we could wake him right now. He and I and the Queen will draft a message for the royal court to inform them. The rest is out of my control. Simon will take care of most everything else.” Francis tells Erin. “Things are about to change.” He sighs sadly.

“Yeah.” Erin looks over her shoulder to the princess. “What about the Queen and Princess?” She asks.

Francis glances at the two women. “They grieve. You might have a big part in that.” He says.

“I figured.” Erin says.

“I will want to speak with you later about the intruder. I’m assuming this is his doing. I’ll need a statement from you, so don’t go far, but you’re free to leave the room. I suggest getting the princess back to her room.” Francis tells her.

“Will do.” Erin nods and leaves Francis’s side to go to Ella. “Let’s go.” She helps Ella from her seat.

Ella wraps her arms around Erin’s neck and Erin ends up picking Ella up and carrying her back to her room. She lays Ella down in the bed and then goes around to the other side, takes her pants off and gets into bed, pulling the princess to her chest.

Ella doesn’t cry, doesn’t say anything. Erin thinks about the last few hours. How she was awakened from her sleep, the sleep she was enjoying after she enjoyed the princess. She thinks about the conversation she had with the King and Queen in the hallway on her way up to Ella’s room.

They lay like that until morning comes and it gets light. They hear the commotion faintly through the walls. Erin knows that Francis has started his investigation and has had the King’s body removed from the room before dawn, before the castle wakes up.

Carm comes in and stares at them in bed. Both awake but just lying there with blank expression on their faces. It’s eerie. “What’s going on?” Carm asks suspiciously.

Erin lifts her head to look at Carm. “Come sit down, please?” Erin whispers. It’s clear to her the Carm doesn’t know what has happened.

Carm raises an eyebrow but does as she’s told. She sits on the end of the bed. “If you don’t know yet I’m guessing Francis didn’t tell the servants this morning at breakfast. Maybe at lunch.” Erin mumbles, more to herself than anything.

“I didn’t know what? Why are you two still in bed?” Carm starts to get flustered. “What’s going on?” She asks.

“You can’t tell anyone. Actually, you’ll probably be with us all day. But you can’t tell anyone if you see them.” Erin warns.

“What?” Carm asks, looking between the two. Ella won’t make eye contact.

“The King’s gone.” Erin says. Ella buries her face in Erin’s chest. Erin brushes through her hair with her fingers softly.

“Gone?” Carm questions. Erin nods. “Like?” Carm asks. “Like?” She can’t believe it.

“Dead.” Erin whispers and kisses Ella on the top of her head. “Can you bring us some breakfast and water, please?” Erin asks.

Carm nods. “Yeah, I’ll be right back.” She’s too shocked to do anything but her job. She goes down to the kitchen. Someone must have told Thomas because he has the princess’s breakfast ready on a tray.

“Sad day.” He mumbles.

“It is.” Carm agrees. She takes the tray and returns to the princess’s room.

Ella doesn’t want to eat but Erin makes her eat a piece of toast and have some water. Erin eats a little too.

“Now what?” Carm asks. Erin shrugs against the headboard. Ella lays on her side in bed and Carm sits at Erin’s feet.

“We wait. We mourn and grieve. I don’t know what’s gonna happen. Francis only told me what he knows.” Erin says.

“Oh.” Carm nods.

“There’ll be a funeral. Probably in four or five days so people can travel from other lands.” Ella speaks up. “Then the royal court will get together and decide what to do about a leader. They will approach my mother and try to convince her to be the one in charge but I know already she won’t want to. Simon will make his suggestion about who should be next ruler this land.” Ella inform them.

“Ella?” Erin asks. “Are you saying what I think you are?”

Ella nods.

“What is she saying?” Carm asks.

Erin looks to Ella. “That Simon is going to suggest that Ella be the next ruler of this kingdom.” Erin tells Carm.

“Oh. Wow. Are you ready for that?” Carm asks.

“I don’t know but I know what I have to do.” Ella says.

“Wow.” Carm says, stunned at the turn of events.

“Yeah.” Ella mumbles. She’s trying to prepare herself for what’s going to happen in the next week or two. It’s a lot, for anyone. To deal with her father’s death and the funeral, then the royal court, and eventually becoming the new ruler.

* * *

 

They spend most of the day in Ella’s room. Just the three of them.

Francis comes into get a statement from Erin about the incident. He asks Carm to leave the room while he takes her statement. Carm gets up from the end of the bed and steps out into the hallway.

At lunchtime, Carm brings Ella and Erin lunch but they don’t have much appetite to eat. Most of the food goes uneaten. Carm does the same thing for dinner, bringing food up to Ella’s room for Erin and the princess to eat.

Francis stands at the head of the servant’s quarters at dinner. He informs the servants of the King’s death now that the official announcement has gone out to the royal court and neighboring kingdoms. In a few days’ time everyone across all lands will have heard of the King’s death.

That night after Carm leaves the room Ella cries for the first time. Erin holds her until she falls asleep.

* * *

 

The King’s advisor, Simon, comes into Ella’s room the next morning. Ella is sitting up in bed with Erin sitting next to her, holding her hand.

Simon stands at the foot of the bed. “First things first. The funeral will be in three days. Second, I need to have a meeting with you and the Queen about the future.”

“Okay. When?” Ella asks.

“This afternoon, after lunch. We can do it in the dining room, if that’s easiest.” Simon tells her. He needs to get things moving. The sooner the better. He knows the Queen and the Princess need time to mourn but at the same time the kingdom continues moving forward. They can’t waste a lot of time.

“That’ll work. Can Erin come?” Ella asks. She doesn’t want to be without Erin for any periods of time right now.

“I suppose, as long as it’s okay with the Queen.” Simon says with a shrug. He doesn’t see a problem with Erin being around. It might actually be a benefit.

“It’ll be fine.” Ella insists. “I’ll see you later. If that’s all for now.” She says.

Simon nods. “It is. Have a good rest of your morning.” Simon tells them, looking from Ella to Erin.

“That’s kinda hard but thanks.” Ella mumbles. Simon frowns and turns to see himself out.

Erin bites her bottom lip. She’s been thinking. She wants to be with Ella right now in her time of need but she’s also been thinking about Ben.

“What’s with that face?” Ella asks.

“I should be working.” Erin says, feeling guilty. Guilty about not working. Guilty about feeling like she should be working. And guilty that see isn’t putting Ella first.

Ella turns onto her side and leans into Erin. “You can, if you want.” Ella rest her head on Erin’s shoulder.

“No. I should be here. With you.” Erin looks to Ella. She knows what she needs to do, has to do, but she still feels guilty. “As I explained to Ben this morning, this is where I’m needed right now. I had to tell him about us but he said he had his suspicions and wasn’t surprised. But he knows where I’m needed right now. He understands. He said that I should just focus on what’s most important. And that’s you.” Erin kisses Ella forehead.

“Thank you.” Ella sighs, leaning further into Erin.

Erin wraps her arms around Ella and holds her close. “Don’t thank me. I’m just doing what’s right.” Erin says simply.

* * *

 

They go downstairs for lunch. It’s the first time either one of them has been downstairs since it happened. The Queen, the Princess, and Erin eat lunch with Simon.

He gets to business right away. “The funeral is in three days. I have everything set up for that. But we need to discuss a replacement.” Simon looks to the Queen.

“I have a meeting with the royal court the day before the funeral. I know they are going to want to know what you think and if you want the position. The circumstances are unusual so..” Simon trails off.

“I don’t wanna do it.” The Queen mumbles, looking down at her food. “I can’t. I won’t. It’s not something I ever wanted.” She adds glumly.

“That’s what I thought.” Simon says. “That leads me to my next point. Princess?” Simon looks to her. “That means it’s up to you. The royal court will ask if there’s anyone who can take over after the Queen and I will tell them there is. That is if you are ready and willing.” He raises an eyebrow at Ella.

Ella nods. She knew this was coming. “I am.” She says with confidence.

“Okay. The first meeting I’ll let them know. And I will set up another meeting for the day after the funeral. You’ll have to be present at that meeting. Both of you will have to be present.” Simon looks between Ella and the Queen. They both give him a nod. “It will most likely happening then. With the approval of the court.”

“Okay. Just let me know a time. I’ll be there. Prepared and ready to do this.” Ella says. Erin squeezes Ella’s thigh under the table. Ella looks to Erin and Erin smiles for her. A sort of encouraging, I know you can do this, proud, you’re gonna be a great leader, smile. Ella covers Erin’s hand on her leg with her own.

“It’s settled then.” Simon finally starts on his lunch. “We can discuss more after it becomes official. Which I know it will. All the work you did with the King and I and the royal court with getting the new laws passes. It’s already good standing with the court.” Simon nods, more to himself than anyone.

They all eat their lunch in somber silence the remainder of the time. Ella and Erin and Carm go out to the garden after lunch and sit in more silence. Carm wants to ask about it. About what happened. She wants to know what happened. None of the servants know what happened, how the King died. Carm doesn’t know if she can or should ask though. She knows that Ella and Erin know. She thinks they might more than just know. Like they might have seen or been there when it happened because Francis took statements from them. But she knows it’s a sensitive subject. If she can get Erin alone, she would ask her. But Erin and Ella have been inseparable since it happened.

They return to the castle, to Ella’s room, and Carm asks to talk to Erin in the hallway.

Erin kisses Ella. “I’ll be right back.” She says and follows Carm to the hall. “What’s up Carm?” Erin asks.

Carm looks down at the floor. “Can you tell me what happened?”

Erin nods, even though Carm isn’t looking at her. “Okay. I’ll give you the condensed version.” She tells Carm. Carm looks up and nods and Erin starts the story.

* * *

 

Ella wakes up first on the day of her father’s funeral. She kisses Erin’s cheek and gets out of bed. Ella goes over to the window to look out. For Ella, it’s been an overwhelming few days. Starting with the King’s death, then dealing with the question of who’s going to be the next ruler. It makes her head spin. She hasn’t had a waking moment where she hasn’t been thinking. Ella mostly thinks about the future and how she wants to rule the kingdom.

“Ella.” Erin rolls over, searching for the princess.

“I’m here.” Ella tells her. That’s the only other thing that Ella’s thought about. Erin. And how great and supporting she has been the last few days. Erin has been her only constant. If Ella didn’t think that Erin was a prince before, she does now after she found out what Erin did to catch the King’s murderer. Erin has been amazing the past few days and Ella is beyond thankful for her.

She leaves the window and goes back to the bed. “Where’d you go?” Erin asks sleepily.

“Just looking out the window.” Ella explains. “Thinking about everything that’s happened recently.”

“Yeah?” Erin asks.

“Yeah. I was also thinking about you. You’ve been here through it all. You’ve been amazing.” Ella whispers to Erin. She leans in and kisses Erin’s cheek. “Thank you, honey.”

Erin smiles. “I love you.” She comes back with. “I wouldn’t be anywhere else. You are the most important thing.” Erin tells her and leans forward for another kiss. “You ready for today?” She asks.

“You want me to be honest?” Ella asks. Erin nods. “No. I don’t think I’ll ever be ready but I gotta do it.”

Erin nods. “You’re a strong person. I have faith in you, that you can do anything you set your mind to.” Erin says.

“Thanks.”

“Come here.” Erin pulls Ella to her chest. “Let me hold you.” Ella cuddles into Erin’s chest. They cuddle until Cam comes in to dress Ella for the funeral.

“What dress do you want to wear today?” Carm asks.

Ella’s thought about this. “The one I wore on my father’s birthday.” She says getting out of bed.

Erin gets up too, putting her pants and shoes on. “I’m gonna go get some breakfast and get my nice shirt. I’ll be back.” She says.

Erin returns to the servant’s quarters for the first time since the King’s death. It’s a weird feeling being back. It seems to Erin that her whole life has changed since his death. She’s been sleeping in the princess’s room and eating with Ella and the Queen for every meal. Erin knows this is just the beginning of changes for her, for them. She knows that her days in the servant’s quarters are numbered and few. Same with her groundskeeping job.

Erin grabs a bowl of soup and sits at the table to eat. A few servants eye her curiously. They probably know now. They probably know that Erin is, at the least, in good standing with the princess. At the most, having an affair. But to Erin, and Ella, it’s no affair. No matter what anyone else might think.

Erin eats her meal and goes to her cot. She decides to gather up all of her belongings. The few people in the room watch every move she makes. She grabs the two shirts, pair of pants, and the letter that Ella wrote her. She collects them and returns to Ella’s room.

No one is in the room though. Ella and Carm have gone down to breakfast. Erin waits for their return in Ella’s room. She changes into her nicest shirt. She knows the other servant will have their nicest clothes on for the funeral as well. She just wishes she had something nicer. She wants to look her best for the man that gave her the most. Erin will forever be grateful for King William and all that he did for her and all he gave her. For giving her his daughter.

The door opens and Ella and Carm come in. “Looking good, buddy.” Carm compliments Erin’s shirt.

“Thanks.” Erin mumbles. She goes over to Ella with her belongings in her hand.

“What’s this?” Ella asks, seeing the items.

“Can I put these somewhere?” Erin asks.

Ella looks over the items in Erin’s hands closer. She sees clothes and the letter. “Here?” Ella asks. “Why?” She looks up to Erin’s face.

“I’ve been spending a lot of time up here and I want to know they are safe.” Erin explains. She would hate it if someone would take her things from under the cot. Especially the letter, that’s irreplaceable.

Ella nods. She takes hold of Erin’s elbow and leads her to the dresser in the corner of the room and pulls open the top drawer. There are a few white underslips in the drawer but nothing else. Ella removes them and sets them atop the dresser. “How’s this?” She asks.

Erin smiles. “Good.” She doesn’t need a whole drawer for her things but she’s just glad to have a place to keep her belongings. Anywhere in Ella’s room would have been good.

“Okay then.” Ella takes the pair of pants and two shirts from Erin’s hand and sets them in the drawer. There’s a sort of symbolic aspect in the princess doing it. Ella then takes the rolled up letter and sets it on top of the clothes. “All good.” Ella grins and closes the drawer and takes Erin’s hand. She leads them over to the bed.

Before they can get to the bed there is a knock on the door. They weren’t expecting anybody. Ella and Erin look at each other, then to Carm. Carm shrugs and goes to open the door.

Francis is standing on the other side. “Is this a bad time?” He asks.

“No.” Ella tells him. “Come in.”

Francis nods and enters the room. Carm closes the door and goes to the dresser to find a spot for the underslips that Ella took out and put on top of the dresser.

“I know that today is a busy one for you, but it is for me as well. I have some information for you though that I thought you should know right away. I talked to Simon already and he agreed that you needed to know now, Princess.” Francis explains.

“Okay.” Ella braces for the information. At this point most things are bad so she’s not counting on good news.

“Even though it’s not official yet, Simon said you are taking over. Which means you need to know this.” Francis glances from Ella over to Erin. “We have finished our investigation into the intruder that we caught in the castle on the night of the King’s death. Well, murder. The King was murdered and the intruder was the one who did it. We pretty much knew that from what the Queen witnessed. But what we didn’t know and what took many days to get out of the intruder is why.”

Francis pauses and takes a deep breath. “After much interrogation we finally broke him and he confessed. He was hired by someone to kill the King.” He delivers the news.

“Who hired him?” Ella asks.

“Richard.” Francis tells her.

Ella takes a shocked breath in. Erin wraps her arm around Ella and holds her steady.

“He said Richard hired him to kill the King because he was mad that you and/or the King denied him from marrying you.” Francis says, looking down at the floor. He feels bad delivering this news but he must. “I’m so sorry, Princess. I know it’s hard to hear but you needed to know.” He says.

“Thank you, Francis.” Ella says. “What’s next?”

“We will hold him in our cell until after you are officially Queen. Then you get to decide his fate.” Francis says.

Ella is un-phased by what Francis says. “What about Richard?” She asks. “Can we bring him in? Hold him? Arrest him?” Ella asks. She really wants him not the man who killed the King brought to justice.

Francis nods. “I have enough on him to bring him here. It might take a few days but we will track him down and bring him here.”

“Very good.” Ella nods.

“Thank you for your time, Princess. Have a good day.” Francis bids them a good day and exits the room.

“Holy shit.” Carm mumbles as she closes the door on Francis. Ella and Erin are thinking basically the same thing. They didn’t know that something like this was possible. For Ella, that denying a suitor would result in her father’s death. For Erin, that being with Ella would cause the King’s death. Basically the same thing for both of them but from different perspectives.

“Well-“ Ella mumbles. “-it is what it is. And I wouldn’t change anything.” She says about the situation. She has no regrets about any decisions she’s made in recent months. Is she sad that her father died, possibly as a result? Yes. She won’t ever forget that. But, she would deny Richard and any other suitor a thousand times if it meant she got Erin in the end. The rest of Ella’s life she will make sure the King isn’t forgotten. And that starts with the funeral.

* * *

 

Ella sits next to her mother with Simon on her left. The funeral is in full swing. The pine box with her father’s body sits at the head of the room, to their left. On the other side of the casket sits the royal court. Someone from the court, that Ella doesn’t remember who offhand, is currently making a speech. Ella searches the crowd for Erin. She spots her near the back sitting with Ben.

Erin sits next to Ben three rows from the back. They can’t see the front of the room very well but it doesn’t matter too much.

“How have you been?” Ben whispers as the royal court member speaks.

Erin glances over at him, knowing it’s disrespectful to be talking at a funeral. “Fine.” She whispers quickly.

Ben leans into her side so that their shoulders are touching. Erin wants to pull away but knows that Ben is going to say something more. “And how’s the princess?” He asks.

Erin narrows her eyes at him. “She’s holding up.” Erin says.

Ben nods. “Good. I’m glad.” He whispers back.

Erin knows she really shouldn’t be talking. The Queen gets up to say something and it’s the perfect excuse for Erin to make Ben shut up. “Later.” She whispers harshly and nods her head to the front of the room. Ben’s eyes follow her direction. The room is dead silent, waiting for the Queen to speak.

“Good afternoon and thank you all for coming. I know William would have loved to see so many turned out for his funeral. It means a lot to me and my family. My husband was a great man. He was a great leader. He ruled with fairness and authority. I don’t know how he did it. While he was a great leader, he was an ever better husband and father. He brought happiness to those in his life. I’m gonna make this short and sweet. I’m not much for public speaking. William leaves behind a legacy in this kingdom but he also leaves behind a wife and daughter. We loved him very much. William was a kind, honest man. He fought for what he thought was right and for what he believed. He gave everything he had to this kingdom. He helped those in need and did whatever needed to be done. He was a very hands on ruler. He will be missed by all.” The Queen finishes and returns to her seat.

Erin wipes at the tears at the corners of her eyes.

“Are you crying?” Ben asks.

Erin shakes her head, but she is.

“Is the princess gonna make a speech?” A servant in the row behind them asks out loud. Erin shakes her head. She doesn’t think the servant was specifically asking her, but her reaction is the same. Simon gets up to say something and Erin excuses herself from the funeral. It’s too much for her. She goes outside and sits on the front castle steps.

A few minutes later, Ben comes out and sits next to her. “That was some ceremony.” He says. Erin nods. She knows it was. “I listened to some of what Simon was saying. He’s a very smart man.” Ben says, trying anything to strike up a conversation with Erin.

“He’s the King’s advisor. He has to be. He pretty much knows everything.” Erin tells Ben.

“Wow. Didn’t know that.” Ben says, impressed. “You seem to know a lot too.” He adds.

“Yeah, I guess.” Erin shrugs, trying to play it off.

“Looks like you’re moving up in the world.” Ben laughs, clapping Erin on the back in the process.

“I’m not. Not yet, at least. A lot is going on right now but you should know that I won’t always be your assistant or apprentice or whatever you want to call me. If things were different I wouldn’t mind spending my whole life as a groundskeeper but-“ Erin trails off.

“Things happen for a reason, Aaron. I believe that. I’m not mad or upset. I’ll miss working with you. You’re a good worker, a hard worker. I’ll have to request a replacement for you. Don’t worry about me, though. But you might have to worry about some of the other servants.” Ben says.

“Why?” Erin asks.

“They seem to think the princess has chosen you for some sort of personal assignment. From what I’ve gathered.” Ben nudges Erin’s shoulder.

Erin chuckles. “That’s sorta true. Not so much an assignment though. I hope nobody’s mad.” She sighs. If she could just be with Ella without any consequences life would be perfect. But life isn’t perfect.

“Not so much mad as jealous, I think.” Ben says.

Erin nods. “We’ve got some time together. I don’t know how much but I’ll be back to work tomorrow. Now that this funeral thing is over.” She gives Ben a tight-lipped smile. “Thanks, Ben.”

“For what?” He asks.

“For showing me the way around her. For showing me how to work and how to enjoy my work. For helping me with more than I think I know.” Erin says, getting all sentimental.

“No problem, Aaron. You’re not the same person that I met on your first day with me. You’ve matured. You were just a skinny, shy kid that didn’t know much about life. Sure you knew about hardships but you didn’t know that there was so much more. I’m proud of you. You’ve grown into a more complete person. Sure, life ain’t perfect but I know you will do amazing things with yours. I’m proud to call you a friend. And I’m excited about your future.” Ben wipes a single tear from his eye.

“I might seem like a grumpy old man, but you’ve brought so much to my life, Aaron. So thank you.” Ben puts his arm around Erin’s shoulders.

“Look at us. What are we doing?” Erin chuckles.

“I think it’s called bonding.” Ben laughs.

“Yeah.” Erin agrees. “We’ve been through a lot together.

“You’re like the son I never had. I can’t believe I almost killed you once.” Ben says with a smile.

“You had to bring that up, didn’t you?” Erin glares over at him.

Ben shrugs. “At least we can laugh about it now.”

“Yeah.” Erin nods. Ben’s right. They might not have the strongest relationship but he always looked out for Erin and Erin always listened to what Ben had to say and respected him. “I’m gonna get back inside. If I don’t see you again today, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Bright and early, boy.” Ben says sternly.

“Yes, sir.” Erin smiles. “Have a good evening, Ben.” Erin walks up the steps and returns to the Great Hall.

The funeral ceremony is over and the royals are all mingling together, talking about whatever. Erin sees Ella and the Queen talking with some of the royal court members. The servants that aren’t kitchen workers all mingle at the back of the room. A few kitchen workers and Thomas prepare the room for a meal. They look about ready to serve the meal. Erin spots Carm, not too far from the princess, waiting in the wings, at the front of the room. Erin knows the servants will be ordered out of the Great Hall soon so that the meal can be served to the royals.

Erin finds herself in between. She doesn’t fit into either group anymore. The servants don’t want to be around her or want her around them. Erin’s not sure which it is. Either way, she doesn’t fit in with them. And she certainly doesn’t fit in with the royals. With her head hung low, Erin makes her way out of the room and heads up to Ella’s room.

She changes out of her nice shirt and puts on her white shirt and her vest. Erin folds the nice shirt and puts it on Ella’s pillow.

The night is gonna be hard for both of them. Tomorrow it’s back to business as usual. Erin knows Ella will be busy the rest of today. She leaves the shirt there on top of the pillow and exits the room. Erin goes downstairs to the servant’s quarters. Some of the servant’s start wandering into the quarters as well. Erin gets a bowl and some soup. She sits down to eat and afterwards returns to her cot for the first time in many nights.

As Erin lays down, all she can think of is how much more comfortable Ella’s bed is than the cot. But it is what it is and it will have to do for now.


	21. Chapter 21

Erin gets up with all the other servants and gets breakfast. Carm sits down next to her with a big yawn. “How’d everything go last night?” Erin asks.

“Busy. But fine. The princess whined about you not being in her room.” Carm informs Erin.

Erin smirks at the information. “I’m sure.” She nods. “Things are back to normal today. Or as normal as possible. Actually, I’m not sure what normal is anymore.” Erin mumbles. “I’ve got groundskeeping to do and Ella has a big day. Tell her I’ll see her tonight.”

“Will do.” Carm nods as Erin walks away from the table.

* * *

 

Carm gets Ella ready for the day. Today is the day. If everything goes as Simon says it will, Ella will be Queen before the day is done. “You ready for this?” Carm asks.

“As ready as I’m gonna be.” Ella tells her.

Carm ties the back of Ella’s dress together securely. “Lets go do this, kid.” Carm pats Ella on the shoulder.

They go down for Ella’s breakfast. The Queen is already at the table. The two are busy eating when Simon comes in. “Are you two ready?” He asks.

“Yes.” Ella says right away. She wishes everyone would stop asking her that. But she can’t change it.

“Yes, Simon.” The Queen says quietly.

“Great. The court will be here and ready at ten. So, that’s what time I’ll need you there.” Simon tells the women. “Unless you ladies have any questions, I’ll be going. I’ve got stuff to set up.” Neither Ella or the Queen say anything. “Okay, I’ll see you in a little bit.” Simon says and leaves.

* * *

 

The Queen and Princess enter the royal court room. All nine royal court members are present. The Queen and Princess sit down in the two empty seats that are next to Simon.

Carm and the Queen’s personal servant aren’t allowed in for the proceedings. They sit in the hall, along the wall, just outside the door to the court. “History is about to be made in there.” Carm says to the other servant.

“How’s so?”

“The Princess is about to become the Queen and ruler of this land.” Carm says with pride. She so very proud of her friend.

“Hmm.” The servant hums next to her.

Inside the court, the proceeding have begun. Simon stands at the podium. He describes what’s going to happen. “I will set up here and you will all vote. First, for the current Queen. To remover her from any responsibility and leadership role in the kingdom. Then, there will be a second vote. This vote will be to appoint the Princess as the new ruler and Queen of the Kingdom. Understood?”

Simon starts setting up the official books, getting his ink well, and pen. “Alright. First vote. I’ll call your name and you’ll say yea or nay. I’ll mark it down and we will move on to the second vote in the same manner.” Simon gets ready and looks over the nine men that are going to change everything. The kingdom is about to see its first female ruler.

* * *

 

Ella sits and waits. She watches as all of the men in the room vote to strip the Queen of any power. Then she sits, nervously bouncing her legs, as the same men vote unanimously for her to take control.

“There.” Simon makes the final mark under the yea column. “It’s done. Princess, if you will stand and join me at the podium.” Simon looks over to Ella.

She stands and runs her hands over her dress. Ella makes her way to the podium slowly. She stands next to Simon. He turns to her, a book in his hand. “Raise your right hand.” He says to Ella. She does and eyes Simon for what’s to come next. She’s not nervous or anything. She just wants to get this done and make it official.

“Repeat after me.” Simon tells Ella. “I ‘say your name’ promise to uphold the laws and rules of this kingdom to the best of my abilities.” Simon starts.

“I, Ella Masar, promise to uphold the laws and rules of this kingdom to the best of my abilities.” Ella repeats.

Simon nods. “I promise to rule fairly, equally, and honestly.”

Ella repeats the words. “I promise to rule fairly, equally, and honestly.”

Simon closes the book. “Very good. One more thing.” He pauses for a moment and looks to the royal court members before coming back to Ella. “Do you Ella Masar accept this responsibility of your own free will?” Simon asks.

“I do.” Ella nods.

“Do you understand what you are undertaking?”

“I do.” Ella nods again.

“Alright. You are hereby, from now until the day you die or can no longer preform your duties, the Queen and ruler of our fine kingdom.” Simon smiles to her and Ella smiles back.

The royal court erupts into applause. Ella turns to them, smiles, and nods. “Thank you. Thank you.” She tries to get them to stop clapping.

Simon leans into Ella’s side while the clapping goes on. “There, now that it’s official, I feel much better.” He breathes a sigh of relief.

“What?” She looks over and questions him.

“You effectively became the Queen the moment your father passed. If any major decisions had to be made you would have been the one to make them. I knew the Queen would want none of it from the beginning.” Simon tells Ella.

Ella is surprised at this revelation but realizes that’s how it has to be. They need someone in charge right away. They can’t go days without a ruler. Today’s vote and swearing in was just a formality. In all that’s happened in the last few days Ella hadn’t realized that, in essence, she had been Queen since the moment her father died. Simon had played everything well. He sugarcoated the reality of the situation to make it easier to understand and handle for both Ella and the Queen.

* * *

 

Erin waits in Ella’s room after her dinner. She’s already got the tea poured and sits on the edge of the bed staring at the fire that burns in the fireplace warming the room. The door swings open and Ella and Carm come in. Ella goes to sit on the bed next to Erin and takes her hand. Carm goes to get a nightgown.

“What do I call you now?” Erin asks with a smirk.

“Don’t be a smartass.” Ella says.

Word had gone out throughout the castle and kingdom after Ella was sworn in as Queen. Everyone knows. The castle servant’s, as far as Erin could tell at dinner, are excited about a Queen, excited about this new journey for the kingdom.

“Sorry.” Erin mumbles and leans in for a kiss. Ella meets her hallway and they kiss slow, unrushed.

“What’s it like kissing a Queen?” Ella smirks after their kiss.

“Who’s the smartass now?” Erin comes back with.

“Okay, lovebirds, that’s enough. Time to change.” Carm announces. Ella stands up to change and Carm helps her out of her dress. Erin sits and watches patiently.

Ella gets changed and settled into bed with her tea. Carm leaves and Erin sits with Ella on the bed. “So what happens next?” Erin asks curiously.

Ella shrugs. “Every day I work with Simon on the happenings of the kingdom. Do what my dad did, basically. I trust Simon. I worked with him and my dad enough to know what kind of man he is and I value his thoughts and opinions. He’s a good advisor. I think I’ll keep him. I think I’ll just lay low and learn more for right now. I’m not gonna make any changes unless absolutely necessary. I don’t want to disturb anything early on.” Ella says.

“That’s smart.” Erin comments.

“I do want to do one thing though.”

“What’s that?”

“I want to have something made to remember my father. Like to memorialize him.” Ella says in a low whisper. She’s unsure of the idea but she wants to do something.

Erin leans in and kisses Ella’s cheek. “That’s a great idea. Do you know what you want yet?” Erin gets on board with the idea.

Ella shakes her head. “I have a few ideas but I haven’t made a final decision.” She says.

“That’s okay. No rush. Make sure you’re positive on what on want made before you do it.” Erin advises.

Ella nods. She puts the memorial to the back of her mind. “I missed you today. And yesterday evening. Overnight. All of the time really.” Ella pouts.

Erin chuckles. “I missed you too but-“ Erin trails off.

“I know. It’s just hard.” Ella sighs. If it were up to her Erin would be with her every evening, all night, and for every meal.

“It is. But we’re in this together, remember?” Erin reminds Ella.

“I know.” Ella nods.

“I love you.” Erin tells her softly. Ella locks eyes with Erin and nods. They go in for a kiss at the same time.

Ella rests her forehead against Erin’s after and sighs, content. “I love you, Erin.”

* * *

 

The next day Ella does her Queen duties and Erin works in the gardens. For Erin, it’s nice being outside again even if it is cool out now. It’s refreshing for her.

Ben and Erin clean up the garden behind the castle after lunch. The one thing that hasn’t change in everything is Ella’s alone time in the garden. They still clean the garden and Ella and Carm come out after lunch.

“How’s your day, Your Majesty?” Ben asks.

Ella chuckles. “I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to that title. But, it’s been very good, Ben. Thank you for asking.” Ella goes and sits on the bench. “Erin.” She calls for Erin to come over.

Erin ducks her head at the attention in front of Ben. “I’ll be in the shed, Aaron. Stay out of trouble.” Ben winks at Erin, causing her to blush.

“What was that about?” Ella asks when Erin sits down next to her.

“Oh, it’s nothing. He’s just teasing me.” She tells the Queen.

Ella sees Carm lingering on the edge of the garden. “Carm, don’t go yet.” Ella instructs.

“Okay.” Carm nods.

“I’m just gonna talk with Erin for a moment than you two can go for a walk.” Ella says. Carm nods and busies herself with nothing in particular. “How’s your day so far?” Ella asks Erin.

“Good. You?” Erin asks back.

“Okay. Kinda boring but I learned a couple of new things this morning. And I thought about how I want to memorialize my dad.” Ella tells Erin. Erin leans into the newly appointed Queen and raises an eyebrow. She takes Ella’s hand. This is important to her and she wants to know every detail. “Every deceased King has a photo in the Great Hall, right?” Ella says.

“Yes.” Erin knows that. She’s seen them hanging on the walls.

“But, I want to do something more.”

“Okay.” Erin nods. She follows so far.

“I want to have a statue or a bust made of marble and have it put out in front of the castle. On it, a plaque with a little description or a quote or something.” Ella says. She not sure about all of the details yet. She wants to know what Erin thinks before she makes a final decision.

“I think that’s perfect.” Erin tells her.

“Good. I wanted your input.” Ella says, thankful.

Erin squeezes Ella’s hand. “Ella, your dad did a lot for me but he was your dad. He’s a special person for you and me but ultimately you have to make the final decision here. I will stand with whatever decision you make but I do think what you mentioned for a memorial is great.”

“Okay.” Ella thinks about if for a second. She knows what Erin is saying is right. She just wants to make the right decision. She loves the idea she came up with but she just wanted Erin’s opinion. “Thank you.” She really wants to kiss Erin right now. “For giving me a little perspective.” She says.

“Sure. You can always bounce any ideas off of me, babe.” Erin looks around quickly. When she doesn’t see anyone she presses a kiss to Ella’s forehead. “I’m always here.” She promises. Ella nods. “Would you like some time to yourself now?” Erin asks.

“Yes, please.”

“Think it over. I’ll see you tonight.” Erin gets up and goes over to Carm for their walk.

* * *

 

Erin brings the tea to Ella’s room after dinner. She waits, like usual, for Ella and Carm. They arrive shortly after she does.

“Is it weird? Being the Queen and not a princess anymore?” Carm asks Ella as they walk in.

Ella shrugs. “Not as weird as I thought it would be.”

Erin stands when they enter and meets Ella in the center of the room. “Hey, babe.” Erin smiles and goes in for a kiss.

Ella wraps her arms around Erin. “Hi.” She whispers, looking into Erin’s eyes after the kiss.

“Don’t get too carried away.” Carm teases.

Ella pulls away from Erin and Erin groans about it. Ella smiles at her. “Will you untie my dress?” She asks Erin.

Erin wiggles her eyebrows and smirks. “Okay.” She mumbles and Ella spins around so her back faces Erin.

“I’m still here.” Carm mumbles from the closet as she gets a nightgown.

“I know.” Ella smirks. She doing it to get a rise out of Carm. Trying to make the girl uncomfortable. Erin’s fingers work over the strings of the tie. She unties and gently pulls the dress back open. Ella sighs extra loud. “Thanks.” She practically moans.

Erin bits her lip. Ella is trying to make Carm squirm. But all Ella is doing is making Erin squirm in a slightly different way.

Ella shimmies out of her dress and Erin needs to go sit on the bed so her hands don’t take control and take advantage of Ella’s bare skin in front of Carm.

Carm doesn’t seem to be bothered by what Ella is doing. The girl isn’t bothered by much, ever. “Here ya go.” Carm slips the nightgown over Ella’s head. “Now go get ‘em.” Carm smack Ella’s ass. Carm’s not stupid. She knows what’s happening. Two can play at this game.

“Hey.” Erin protests.

Ella giggles and makes her way to Erin. “It’s okay, honey. Carm’s just playing.” Ella kisses Erin’s protests away. “Better?” She asks.

“Much.” Erin pulls Ella into her lap. “Much.” And kisses her again.

“Okay. Okay.” Carm throws her hands in the air. “I get it. I’ll leave.” Carm makes her way to the door.

“Thanks, Carm.” Ella mumbles in between kisses. Carm laughs, closing the door on the two.

Erin slows their kisses to a stop. She wants to know if Ella made a decision about her father’s memorial. “El, did you make a decision?” She asks.

Ella swallows. “Yeah.”

“Okay, you gonna let me know what it is or do I have to wait?” Erin teases.

Ella rolls her eyes. “You know I’m gonna tell you.” She smacks Erin’s arm gently. “I’m gonna go with a bust of my father with one of his quotes on a plaque underneath it.” Ella tells her.

“Very nice.” Erin nods. She thinks it will be very fitting.

They enjoy the evening together before Erin returns to her cot in the servant’s quarters.

* * *

 

The week continues and things get back to normal. Or as normal as possible. Ella settles into her Queen role. She orders the bust and plaque to be made. She sees Erin every evening but has been thinking that it’s not enough.

While it’s great to see her she wishes she could see more of Erin. And she wishes that Erin could stay in her room overnight. But she knows there’s a reason she’s not. She doesn’t want to have anyone finding out but at the same time she wants Erin with her at night. She’s the Queen now and should be able to have and get whatever she wants. She thinks on it and knows what to do.

* * *

 

Ella waits. It’s an excruciating wait. More than a week passes. She waits. It’s the day of the bust dedication.  The whole royal court is on hand. Ella requested that Ben and Erin be present as well. They are the ones who prepared the spot where the bust will sit. Ella wants them to be the ones to pull the fabric off the bust for the unveiling.

So, Erin and Ben stand behind the statue at the front stairs of the castle and just off to the right. The royal court and Ella and her mother stand in front of the bust. “Alright, we are ready.” Ella gives the cue and Ben and Erin pull the fabric sheet from the bust.

The royal court claps. Ella smiles, proud. The bust looks great. She hasn’t seen it yet but Erin saw it the day before, when it was delivered and she and Ben put it into place. Erin told Ella last night that it looked great and that it was prefect.

Seeing it now Ella has to agree. “I didn’t have any great speech planned but to just unveil this bust today and have all of you see it for the first time. It’s my first time seeing it as well and it looks better than I could have imagined. I’ll let you all mingle. If you have any questions just let me know. Thank you.” Ella addresses the court.

The gathered start conversing amongst themselves. Ben and Erin fold up the fabric sheet. They start towards the groundskeepers shed. “Ben. Erin. Hold up.” Ella calls out. She has to speak with them quickly.

Erin and Ben stop a few feet away from the group of royal court members and allow Ella to come over to them. “I just want to thank you two for setting this up promptly yesterday so we could have the unveiling today.” Ella tells the groundskeepers.

“Our pleasure, Your Majesty.” Ben says with a nod. “It looks real great.” He adds referring to the bust.

“Thanks, Ben. I’ll let you two get back to work now.” Ella tells them. Erin nods and Ben and Erin walk off towards the shed. Ella watches as they go. Now that the bust has been unveiled Ella knows what needs to happen next.

* * *

 

“Hey, Carm?” Ella asks as they are returning to the castle from the garden after lunch.

“Yeah?” Carm asks.

“I have a special task for you this afternoon.” Ella says.

“Okay.” Carm is waiting to find out what it is. What’s so special?

“I need you to find Erin this afternoon and tell her to meet me in front of the castle, at my father’s bust, before dinner. When she’s done with her work for the day.” Ella explains.

Carm nods. “Okay.” She doesn’t see why that would be special. Carm raises an eyebrow and smirks. “What are you planning?” Carm catches on that Ella has an idea floating around in that head of hers.

Ella shakes her head. “I can’t tell you but you’ll find out eventually.” Ella smiles.

“No fair.” Carm whines and pouts.

“Carm. Can you just do this for me, please?” Ella asks. She doesn’t want to have to deal with any problems from Carm.

“Okay. Fine.” Carm shakes a finger at Ella. “But I better get all the info tomorrow.”

“You will, don’t worry.” Ella smiles, assuring Carm.

Ella spends the afternoon with Simon. They discuss the morning. They had a meeting with the royal court before the unveiling of the bust. Then jump into financials for the castle.

* * *

 

Ella’s nervous as she goes outside. She doesn’t know why. There’s no reason for her to be. She goes out and sits on the second step from the bottom and looks over at the bust of her father. “Dad, I’m about to do something big.” Ella talks to the statue. “I’m nervous, and I know I shouldn’t be, but I still am. I just hope it goes well.”

“Hope what goes well?” Erin asks, coming up to Ella.

“How much did you hear?” Ella asks, alarmed.

“Just that.” Erin shrugs. “What’s gonna on? Why did you want to meet me here? Did you want to talk to your dad or whatever it was that you were doing when I showed up? Do you want me to stay or maybe go? I can come back in a little bit, if you want some time alone.” Erin asks Ella.

Ella smiles up at Erin. She holds out her left hand. Erin looks around, doesn’t see anybody, and takes Ella’s hand. Ella gives Erin’s hand a tug so she’ll sit down next to her. “So many questions?” She says as Erin sits down. “And no I don’t want you to go. I asked you here for a reason.” Ella says with a soft smile.

“Yeah.” Erin grins. “I’m missing dinner for this.” She smirks.

“Don’t worry about dinner.” Ella tells her.

Erin raises an eyebrow. “Oh?”

“Don’t worry about dinner.” Ella repeats.

“Okay, I won’t.” Erin nods.

Ella looks at Erin, turning serious. She licks her lips. “So, I wanted to do this here.” Ella starts.

“Do what?” Erin asks.

“Just listen, please.” Ella tells her. Erin nods. “I wanted to do this here. So I had to wait until the bust showed up and was unveiled. Otherwise, I probably would have done it sooner.” Ella pauses. Erin wants to ask ‘what’ but refrains.

“I wanted to make it special somehow. It, this is what I thought of. I’ve been thinking about if for a while now and this is the perfect spot, timing, place, whatever.” Ella turns so she’s fully facing Erin. She takes Erin’s other hand and Erin turn towards her in return.

“Erin, I love you. And I’ll love you forever.” Ella says.

“I love you too, El. Always.” Erin replies.

Ella continues. “And seeing you every night is great but it’s time it’s more than that. I don’t want to keep it a secret anymore. Erin, let’s get married. Make this official.” She says to a somewhat stunned Erin.

“For real?”

“Yes, for real and I don’t want to wait any longer. Let’s get married. I can have the announcement go out tomorrow and then give any guests time to get here. A couple weeks, maybe.” Ella says.

“That soon?” Erin questions.

“I just said I’m tired of waiting.” Ella says simply.

Erin nods and thinks it over for a little bit. “Okay.” She says.

“Okay?” Ella asks to be sure she hear Erin correctly.

“Okay. Let’s do it.” Erin is onboard with the plan.

Ella lets out a little squeak. “I’m so excited. I love you.” She leans forward and hugs Erin.

“I love you too.” Erin says back. “I can’t believe this is actually happening.” She comments.

“It is, Erin. It, truly, is.” Ella presses a kiss to Erin’s neck before pulling away from their hug.

“So now what?” Erin asks.

Ella smirks devilishly. “Dinner.” She says.

Erin nods knowing what that means. “I’ll see you in a little bit.” She says solemnly.

“Yeah.” Ella nods. They get up and go their separate ways. Erin to dinner in the servant’s quarters. Ella goes to the dining room to have dinner with her mother. She is tempted to tell her mother at dinner but thinks better of it. She wants Erin to be with her when they tell her mother. Ella decides to talk to Erin about it after dinner.

* * *

 

Carm and Ella come in after dinner. Ella goes over to Erin for a kiss. “We should get you some pajamas?” She says following the kiss.

Erin wrinkles up her face. “Where did that come from?” She asks.

Ella shrugs. “I don’t know.” She goes over to Carm to change into her nightgown. “What do you think?” Ella continues her conversation with Erin as she gets undressed.

“I’m not sure.” Erin says, mulling it over.

“Would you want a nightgown or something else, like pants. I’m sure either can be arranged.” Ella says.

“I don’t see Erin wearing a nightgown.” Carm jumps in.

“Erin?” Ella asks.

“I think Carm’s right. I don’t know that I’d like wearing a nightgown. Maybe pants and a shirt would be better.” Erin says with a nod.

Ella smiles over at Erin. “Consider it done. Carm, will you put it into action?” Ella asks.

“Sure thing. I’ll let Dorothy know. What color would you like, Erin?” Carm asks.

 Erin thinks about it. “Red. Oh, or maybe purple.” Erin says.

“Okay. I‘ll see what I can do. I’ll let you know what Dorothy says.” Carm finishes tying Ella’s nightgown and Ella goes over to Erin.

Erin wraps Ella in her arms in a massive hug. “Who’s Dorothy?” Erin whispers to Ella.

Ella laughs. “The castle seamstress. She makes all the clothes around here.” Ella tells her.

“Oh.” Erin nods. “Good to know.”

“So, I was thinking. Should we tell Carm?” Ella asks out loud.

“Tell Carm what?” Carm asks, hearing the two of them.

Erin smiles. She still can’t believe it herself. “Yeah. I think we should.” Erin leans in and kiss Ella.

“Tell me what?” Carm asks again, staring them down in the process.

“Carm-“ Ella starts. She turns a little in Erin’s arms to address Carm. “-we have an announcement to make.” She says.

“What announcement?” Carm is starting to get suspicious of Ella and Erin. If there’s anything official Carm usually one of the first people to know on account of her servant status.

“Carm, tomorrow an announcement will be going out. You are the first to know that-“ Ella pauses and looks to Erin.

Erin smiles. “-we’re getting married.” She finishes Ella’s sentence excitedly.

“Come again?” Carm gasps.

“We’re getting married.” Ella says proudly. “The announcement goes out tomorrow. As soon as I talk to Simon, that is. We’re getting married in two weeks.” Ella tells Carm.

“Holy shit.” Carm looks between the two. The happy couple arm in arm, all smiles, all full of love. It dawns on Carm why Ella wanted Erin to meet her by her father’s bust. Carm smiles, smirks, actually. “Wow. Congrats.” Carm says. “So, this- it’s it.” Carm waves her hand in the air aimlessly.

“Yeah, Carm, this is it.” Ella smiles. She doesn’t want anything else. She doesn’t want anyone else. Just Erin.

“So, you’re gonna continue pretending to be a guy?” Carm asks the important question.

Erin nods sadly. “That’s the only way this works.” Erin tells Carm the sad truth.

Carm nods. “Okay. So does that mean- mean-“ Carm worries.

“What Carm?” Ella asks.

“Does that mean you don’t need me anymore?” Carm pouts. She knows marriage sometimes changes servant’s jobs.

“No. Not at all.” Ella says. “Actually, if you want you can assist both of us. If it gets to be too much we can find someone else for Erin. But, considering the situation, I think it’s best if as few people as possible know about our ‘situation’. Or you could be Erin’s assistant and I could get a new one.” Ella shrugs. “You know what. It’s fine. Erin and I are both very capable of doing things for ourselves. We’ll be fine.”

“Yeah, I don’t need much.” Erin adds.

“Plus, your our friend Carm.” Ella says. “We wouldn’t just get rid of you like that.”

“Come here.” Erin waves Carm over and opens up her arms for Carm to get in on their hug. Both Erin a and Ella envelope Carm in a bear hug.

“We love you, Carm. You’re not going anywhere.” Ella whispers.

“Thanks.” Carm tears up a little bit. She leans back after a couple seconds so she can look at the two. “Oh my god, you’re getting married.” She says with excitement, bouncing up and down a little bit.

“We are.” Erin says. “And your even invited.” Erin jokes.

They all laugh.

* * *

 

Carm leaves and Erin and Ella get into bed.

“I know we just told Carm but at dinner I thought of telling my mother.” Ella tells Erin. They lay on their sides, facing each other, legs and arms tangling around each other.

“Did you?” Erin asks. She runs her fingertips through Ella’s hair.

“No.” Ella shakes her head subtly. “I wanted to, but I also wanted you to be there when I told her. When we told her.” Ella says.

Erin nods. “Okay. So?”

“So, I was thinking you could have breakfast with me and my mom tomorrow since were getting married and we’ll be having breakfast with her every day after we’re married.” Ella explains what she was thinking. She’s thought a lot about all the things they’ll get to do together once they are married.

“Sounds perfect.” Erin kisses Ella. “Does that mean I get to sleep here tonight?” Erin smirks.

Ella bites her lip. “Yes.” She licks her lips. “Erin?”

“Yeah?” Erin raises an eyebrow.

“What do you say we celebrate?” Ella says seductively.

Erin nods. “Yes. I say yes.” She crashes their lips together in a bruising kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this story is coming to an end. one or two more chapters.


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's been a long time. Truthfully, a first i didn't want to write this cuz i don't want it to end but it has to sometime. Also, I've been super busy. There is one more chapter after this. Thanks.

Carm comes in and Ella and Erin are still asleep in bed. She smirks to herself. She knows what happened after she left last night. She almost doesn’t want to wake them up. They look so cute, so peaceful, so happy together that Carm doesn’t want to be the one to disturb that.

Ella is on her back with Erin’s head resting on her chest, just under her chin, and Ella has an arm around Erin.

“Rise and shine.” Carm announces her presence. Erin starts to wake and rolls off of Ella’s chest. She looks over and sees Carm at the closet. “Please tell me you have underpants on.” Carm smirks.

Erin groans. “Yeah, Carm. Why do you gotta ask questions like that?” Erin sits up on her elbows. She’s wearing her shirt and ‘underpants’ under the blankets. “Ella.” Erin shakes Ella slightly. “Get up, babe. It’s morning.” Erin says.

Ella mumbles something unintelligible. She rubs at her eyes as she wakes up before she opens them up fully. “What’s going on?” She asks sleepily.

Carm chuckles. Ella rolls into Erin’s side. “It’s morning. Time for breakfast.” Erin leans in for a kiss.

Ella hums into the kiss, coming to life. “Good morning.” She grins after.

“Morning.” Erin replies.

Ella raises from bed, seeing Carm at the closet. “Morning, Carm.” She says to her assistant.

Carm looks over her shoulder. “Morning. How’d you sleep?” She smirks.

Ella stretches her arms above her head. “Great.” She smiles. “Once I finally got to sleep.” She looks over at Erin. Erin just shrugs and smiles.

“Alright then. Let’s get you changed.” Carm turns around with a dress in her hands.

Ella goes over and gets dressed with Carm’s help while Erin puts her clothes on over at the bed. She gets ready quickly and waits for Ella to be finished. Carm brushes Ella’s hair and they are ready to go.

The three walk downstairs together and Carm expects Erin to branch off and head to the kitchen, the servant’s quarters, for breakfast but she doesn’t. Erin, instead, follows Ella into the dining room. “What’s going on?” Carm asks as she enters the room after the two.

“We are telling my mother at breakfast.” Ella says confidently. She’s not actually sure how her mother is going to react to the news but they need to tell her either way.

Carm nods, the pieces falling into place.

“Erin you can sit next to me.” Ella points to the chair next to hers. They take their seats and Carm goes into the kitchen. They start with tea for Ella and juice for Erin. Carm brings in toast for the pair and returns to the kitchen.

The former Queen comes in. She stops when she sees Erin sitting at the table next to her daughter. “What’s going on here?” She asks the two them curiously.

“Sit down, mom. We have something to tell you.” Ella says.

The Queen’s eyes widen. “Are you with child?” She asks, looking at Ella.

Ella doesn’t panic. She would laugh but she knows the would only send her mother into more of a frenzy. “No, mom. Just sit down, please.” Ella insists.

Queen Anne walks over to her chair at the head of the table and takes her seat. When Queen Anne is seated, Ella takes Erin’s hand and puts their joined hands on the tabletop. “Mom, Erin and I have an announcement.”

Queen Anne raises an eyebrow, waiting for Ella to continue. “Mom, we are getting married. I will be talking to Simon after breakfast. I’ll have him put together an announcement and send it out today. In two weeks’ time we will be married.” Ella says, squeezing Erin’s hand.

Her mother nods. “Very well.” She says calmly and then pours herself some tea. “Congratulations, my dear.” She adds. “Would you like me to have a planner come in to plan your wedding?” She asks and takes a sip of tea.

Ella thinks about the question and how calmly her mother is reaction to the announcement. She hasn’t thought about any details of her wedding yet. Last night was mostly spent celebrating. “No. I know how much you like planning and preparing events and celebrations. I was hoping you would do it.” Ella looks over at her mother.

A smile comes to Queen Anne’s face. “I would be honored, Ella.” She says, delighted. “Oh. I’m so excited about this.” She starts thinking of all the things she’ll do for her own daughter’s wedding.

Ella knew having her mother plan the wedding would make her happiest of all. Plus, Ella doesn’t want to deal with all the little picky details of planning a wedding. She just wants to be there for major decisions. “It’s settled then.” Ella says with finality. “Let’s eat.” She adds.

Erin giggles at her side. Ella looks over at her and smiles.

The Queen looks between the two and finds herself smiling. She didn’t used to like Erin. She didn’t want her daughter having anything to do with a servant. And now her daughter is marrying that servant and she’s completely okay with it. With the King’s death Erin has more than proven herself in the Queen’s eyes. To the Queen, Erin is a great match for her daughter. She knows Erin is loyal, faithful, honest, and would do anything for Ella. The Queen couldn’t imagine a better partner for her daughter. Plus, she can see how in love they are now that she’s gotten to know Erin a little and seen how the two interact with each other.

The three talk about the upcoming wedding during their breakfast.

Erin excuses herself to go to work when she’s finished eating.

“You know that’s going to have to end once you’re married?” The Queen says as Erin rises from her chair.

Erin sighs. “I know. But I like the work and today might be the last day I can with the announcement going out. Word will get around. The servants will know by the end of the day. I’m gonna go out there and enjoy my job one last time. Cuz I do. I really do enjoy groundskeeping.” Erin tells the Queen.

“You’re a good man, Aaron.” The Queen says.

“Thank you.” Erin nods. She turns her attention to Ella. “I’ll see you tonight.” Erin looks down at Ella who’s still sitting in her seat.

“Okay.” Ella looks up at Erin with a certain look in her eyes. Erin knows what Ella wants. She bends down and presses a kiss to Ella’s lips. Her cheeks heat and she can’t look at either Ella or the Queen as she leaves. Erin leaves the dining room and hurries out to the groundskeepers shed.

* * *

 

Erin works until lunch without any problems. It’s when she goes in for lunch that issues arise. She gets her bowl and soup and goes downstairs to eat. As soon as Erin walks into the servant’s quarters all eyes are on her. The room falls silent and Erin gulps as she looks around at everyone staring back at her. Erin goes over and sits down next to Carm. The servant’s start talking amongst themselves again.

“Guess the words out.” Carm says in between bites.

“Guess so.” Erin agrees and starts on her lunch. She can feel the eyes on her as she eats. It’s an unnerving feeling. No one says anything directly to her but she knows they’re all talking about her.

* * *

 

At dinnertime, Erin walks into the servant’s quarters and the servants that are present start clapping. Erin furrows her brow, confused. “What’s going on?” She asks the room.

Someone steps forward as the clapping subsides. “Aaron.” Miss Mary addresses her. “We, first, want to thank you. You’re like a legend now. You’ve done what no one has ever done before. What no servant has ever done before.” She clarifies. “You give everyone in this room hope. You, my boy, have been through so much in your time here and your time before you arrived here and you have survived and not only that but you’ve thrived. You are marrying the Princess. The Queen. We all want to congratulate you and tell you we are happy for you. I know not all the servants agree but most of us do. We are happy for you.” Miss Mary concludes.

“Thank you.” Erin can’t believe this. “Wow.” She looks at all the servants that are supporting her right now. “Uh- can I eat my dinner now?” She asks the room.

Everyone laughs.

Erin goes over to sit at the table and eat her meal. She’s surprised that she’s able to eat in peace.

* * *

 

Thomas congratulates Erin when she enters he kitchen. “Now I know why you always bring Ella her tea.”

Erin chuckles awkwardly. “Yeah.”

Erin makes her way up to the Ella’s room with the tea. She sits on Ella’s bed and waits for her. When Ella comes in Erin stands and goes over to her for a kiss. “Well, the words out.” Erin says. “Everyone knows.”

“And?” Ella asks. “Good or bad?”

Erin thinks for a second or two. “Mostly good. I got a round of applause at dinner.” Erin chuckles awkwardly. “But, I think my days as a groundskeeper are over.” She sighs sadly.

“Why do you say that?” Ella questions. She holds Erin around the waist.

“Cuz they just are.” Erin shrugs. “I’ll have to talk to Ben tomorrow and let him know.” Erin says somberly.

Ella hums and kisses Erin again before going over to get changed for bed. “On the plus side. It means you get to sleep here with me.” Ella grins over at Erin.

“There’s that.” Erin returns the smile. That’s a perk. She’s gonna miss groundskeeping but she’s sure her time will be filled with other things. And she’ll try and get out to see or help Ben when she can.

“We just need to get you some pajamas now.” Carm interjects.

“Actually, Erin’s gonna get a whole new wardrobe now.” Ella says.

“What?” Erin squawks. “I don’t need a whole new wardrobe. Just a few things are fine.” Erin walks over to Ella and stands in front of her. “I don’t need a lot.” She tells her, making sure she understands.

“I know but you are going to be getting a ton of new clothes. Just so you’re aware.” Ella tells her.

Erin pouts. “Fine.”

“Don’t give me that look.” Ella says. “You’re being dramatic. About clothes, no less. You don’t have to wear them all. But you’ll have to wear something. We can’t have a _King_ dressing like a servant, now can we?” Ella smirks.

Erin smiles. She can’t believe this is happening. That she’s going to marry Ella. That she’s going to marry the Queen. That she’s going to become a King.

* * *

 

Erin gets up the next day unsure what to do with herself. She has breakfast with Ella and her mother, then goes out to talk with Ben. Ben had heard the news so he knows that when he sees Erin next they would need to have a talk. Erin walks with her head hung low and her hands in her pants pockets.

“Hey, kid.” Ben greets.

“Hi, Ben. So, I’m sure you heard.” Erin says vaguely.

“I have. Congrats, my boy.” Ben pats Erin on the back.

“Thanks.” Erin says. “That means I won’t be working anymore.” She tells him.

“I figured as much.” Ben nods. “It’s okay though. I’ll put in for a new apprentice. Hopefully, this next one won’t go off and marry the Princess.” Ben jokes.

“Queen.” Erin corrects. “And unless there’s another Queen I don’t know about, I’ve got that on lock down.” Erin jokes back.

Ben laughs. “It’s been good.” He says.

“It has.” Erin agrees with a nod. “If I have the time I would like to be able to come by and help out every now and then.” Erin tells him.

Ben nods. “That would be wonderful, Aaron. I look forward to it.” Ben holds out his hand. “Whatever you want to do is fine with me. But, whatever you do, make me proud.”

Erin shakes his hand. “I will.” She promises.

* * *

 

A few days later Ella is holding up a shirt and examining it. “I really hope Erin likes these. I had Dorothy do all this work and I just hope it’s alright.”

“It’s just clothes, Ella. It’s not the end of the world. I’m sure Erin will be fine with it.” Carm tells the Queen. She doesn’t get why Ella is making such a fuss over Erin’s new clothes.

Ella sighs out a long breath. “I just want these to be okay.” She folds the shirt and puts it back on top of the newly made pile of clothes.

“I’m sure it will be.” Carm says.

“Where is Erin, anyway?” Ella spins on her heels to face Carm.

“How should I know?” Carm scoffs. “She’s not my responsibility.”

“I’m going to find her.” Ella says with determination.

“But it’s nearly time for lunch. She’ll show up then.” Carm reminds the new Queen.

Ella pauses with her hand on the bedroom door and thinks about what Carm is saying. She’s right. And Erin could be anywhere. Finding her might prove difficult. “Maybe your- ooof-“ Ella stumbles backwards as the door is pushed open into her.

“Oh, I’m so sorry.” Erin appears in the doorway. She hurries over to Ella. “Were you standing behind the door?” Erin asks.

“I was just gonna come look for you. Where were you?” Ella asks.

Erin smiles and wraps Ella up in a hug. Erin was out talking to Ben. She has a little surprise for Ella that he is going to help her with. “It’s a secret.” She whispers into Ella’s ear. “Why were you looking for me?”

Ella looks up at Erin with a certain sparkle in her eyes. “Tell me the secret.” She bites her lip.

“Can’t.” Erin shakes her head.

“Why not?”

“Cuz that would ruin the surprise.” Erin smirks and kisses Ella, hoping that will get her off the subject. It works like a charm and Ella gets lost in the kiss. “Why were you looking for me?” Erin repeats her question.

“Oh.” Ella licks her lips. “Your new clothes are all finished and have arrived.” Ella points over to the pile of clothes on the bed. “You have to try them on and see if you like them.”

“Now?” Erin stomach grumbles.

Ella laughs. “I guess your stomach has other ideas.”

“I may or may not be hungry. It’s time for lunch.” Erin shrugs.

Carm and Ella laugh. “Okay. It can wait. Let’s go to lunch. Come on, Carm.” Ella says and wiggles her way out of Erin’s arms. She leads the two to the door and down the stairs to the dining room.

After they have lunch they go back up to the bedroom so Erin can try her new clothes on.

“So, do you like them?” Ella asks as Erin looks at the clothes that are laid out before her on the bed.

“El, this is the first I’m seeing of them. I haven’t even tried anything on yet.” Erin says with a crooked smile. It’s a bit overwhelming for her. Before her is a completely new and vast wardrobe. She knows it’s only the beginning and that her new wardrobe with only continue to grow. She sees the patterns and the colors and the texture of the fabric. Only the best. She knows that these clothes are the nicest anyone can have. She knows that they will be more than sufficient. She knows she will wear them with pride. Erin glides her fingertips over the assortment in front of her before picking one to try on.

“I just want them to be good enough for you.” Ella worries.

Erin smiles. Ella’s being adorable. “You’re cute.” She kisses Ella. “And don’t worry. They’re good enough.”

“You didn’t even try anything on yet.” Ella pouts. She doesn’t understand how Erin can say the clothes are good enough when she only looked at them.

Erin smirks. “Will you help me try them on?” She says suggestively.

Ella’s eyes go wide but at the same time she smiles. It turns into a devilish smirk.

“Okay. Woah. Woah. Woah.” Carm stops her task and turns to the door. “Before any clothes come off let me leave first.” She hurries over to the door and makes her exit.

Erin grins at Ella. “Well?” She smirks.

“Come here.” Ella grabs a fistful of Erin’s shirt and pulls her towards herself. “I’ll _help_ you.” She bites her bottom lip and starts unbuttoning Erin’s vest.

* * *

 

After Erin has tried on her new clothes with the help of Ella and some other added activities she sits on the bed fully dressed again as Ella stands over by the window looking out. “The clothes are all great, El. Perfect, really. It doesn’t really matter to me what I’m wearing but this is beyond anything I could have imagined.”

“Okay.” Ella mumbles.

Erin looks over at Ella. “Are you even listening to me?” She watches as Ella’s eyes focus on something outside.

“Yeah, your clothes fit.” Ella mumbles, not really paying attention.

Erin pushes herself off the bed and slowly walks over to Ella, wrapping her arms around her from behind. “What are you looking at?” She asks what has the Queen so distracted.

Ella nods her head out the window. Erin’s eyes search, looking for whatever Ella is seeing. It takes a moment but Erin spots it. The group of servant’s standing together. Maybe six or seven of them. Their heads huddled close together. Whispering about something. Gossiping. “I wonder what that’s all about?” Erin questions out loud. Ella nods.

There’s a knock at Ella’s bedroom door. Erin screws her face up in confusion. “Are you expecting someone?” She asks.

“No.” Ella turns around in Erin’s arms. “Come in.” She yells at the door.

The bedroom door swings open to reveal Francis. “Good afternoon, Your Majesty.” Francis nods politely. “Aaron.” He adds with another nod of the head.

“Hi, Francis. What brings you here? We didn’t have a meeting set up, did we?” Ella and Francis get together on a weekly basis to discuss the happening of the kingdom in regards to Francis’s work. The security and guard duty and any other concerns that Francis might have.

“No. I am here to inform you of some news.”

Ella stiffens in Erin’s arms, freezing for a moment, before snapping out of it. Ella takes a step back from Erin and goes over to Francis and stands before him. “What is it?” She tries to prepare herself for terrible news.

Erin goes behind Ella and puts a supportive hand on her shoulder.

“We have found Richard. And have brought him to the castle for his punishment in your father’s death.” Francis says calmly, with a straight face.

Ella doesn’t say anything, at first. Erin gives her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. It’s not terrible news. It’s not really bad news at all. She ponders the situation. “What’s his punishment?” Ella nearly whispers.

“That’s for you to decide.” Francis tells the Queen.

Ella nods. “Where is he?”

“In a cell. With a guard at the door so he doesn’t try anything.” Francis informs Ella.

“Okay. Hold him there. I will have Simon notify the royal court and have them come to the castle. In two days, that’s when I will make my decision. I will have you bring him into court and everyone can witness the fate I have chosen for him.” Ella instructs.

“Very well.” Francis nods.

“Thank you, Francis.” Ella dismisses him.

“Have a good day, both of you.” He smiles charmingly at Ella and Erin. He turns on his heels and exits the room.

Ella looks over her shoulder as soon as the door shuts. She eyes Erin with a certain determination in her eyes.

“Ella, no.” Erin sighs. She knows what Ella wants to do even without her having to say it.

“Let’s go. Right now.” Ella says in a hurried whisper.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea.” Erin disagrees with Ella little idea.

Ella chuckles cryptically. “I know it’s not a good idea, but I have to.”

Erin sighs. “Fine.” She gives in. She knows Ella is going to do this with or without her. She might as well be there to make sure nothing bad happens. “Let’s go.”

Ella leads them out of the bedroom, down the stairs, and towards the guard’s station where the cells are. It becomes damper and darker as they approach the cells. That’s by design to make the prisoners more uncomfortable. The cells are small with only a stool and a cot and a bucket in them.

Erin doesn’t dare say anything but she knows there is no real danger here, even if she knows it’s not a good idea. But, she follows Ella faithfully regardless.

“Your Majesty.” The guard standing post at the cell squeaks when he sees Ella approaching. “You’re not supposed to be here. What are you doing here?” He asks frantically.

“I’m the Queen. I can do whatever I want.” Ella pulls rank. “Take a five-minute break.” Ella tells the young man.

He nods a little intimidated by the Queen. He scurries past Ella and Erin. Erin smiles at him as he goes. “El, you didn’t need to be so- so-“ Erin doesn’t know what word to use but doesn’t like the way Ella just treated the young guard.

Ella ignores Erin and focuses in on the man that is sitting on the wooden stool in the corner of the cell. She steps up to the front of the cell and looks in. Her eyes shooting angry daggers at the man.

He looks back at Ella, unfazed, arrogant even. “Well, hello.” He smirks. “We meet again.”

Erin has never liked Richard from the first time she laid eyes on him. But seeing him now she feels something close to hatred for the man. Erin steps up behind Ella, hovering at her right shoulder. Erin puts her hand on Ella’s lower back.

Ella balls her fists up at her sides. She doesn’t say anything back to him. She just stands there staring at him.

Richard laughs evilly. “I remember you.” He nods at Erin. “Still hanging around your little servant boy, I see. What a joke?” Richard eyes Ella again.

“Leave Erin out of this.” Ella warns him.

“Or what? You’ll put me in a cell.” Richard throws his arms out to his sides. “Already here, sweetie.” He grins. “But, ohhh, what do I owe this pleasure?” Richard folds his hands together and sets them in his lap and cocks his head to the side ready for an answer from Ella.

“You killed my father and now you’re gonna pay for it.” Ella seethes.

Richard throws his head back and laughs. “I didn’t kill your father, you poor child.” He says with a cocky smirk.

“I’m not a child.” Ella yells. Her blood boils. She tenses further then she was. Erin leans into her, pressing her hand more firmly into the small of Ella’s back.

“You may have not been the one to actually commit the act but you are the one to orchestrated it.” Erin speaks up now.

“Ohhh. Speaking for the Princess again. You remember what happened the last time you tried that with me?” Richard gloats.

“Yes, I do.” Erin stands her ground firmly. “And I would do it again. I would take as many punches in the face from you as it required. I will always have Ella’s back no matter what. And she’s no longer a Princess. I guess, that’s thanks to you.” Erin shrugs. “She’s the Queen now and ruler of this land. Which means she’s responsible for your punishment.” Erin is the one to smirk now.

Richard gulps visibly. Fear flashes in his eyes.

“Oh, and one more thing.” Erin removes her hand from Ella’s back and reaches down to take Ella’s hand in hers. “I’m guessing you haven’t heard yet but-“ Erin lifts there conjoined hands for Richard to see clearly. “-we’re getting married in little over a week.” Erin smiles and kisses the back of Ella’s hand. Rubbing it in Richard’s face that she got the girl and he didn’t.

Ella looks over at Erin and smiles. All the tension and anger leave her body just like that. Erin standing up for her and being there for her; Ella really thinks Erin is her knight in shining armor. “We’ll see you in two days.” Ella tells Richard with finality. “Let’s go.” Ella walks away from the cell with Erin following closely behind her.

They walk out of the guard’s station and into The Great Hall. Ella looks at all the photos on the wall of all the former leader’s. They hold hands as they walk along the wall. Ella stops at the open spot at the end of the row of photos that is being prepared for her father’s photo. “I want to make him proud.” Ella whispers.

Erin leans in and presses a kiss to Ella’s temple. “You will. You are.” Erin assures her.

“There you two are.” Carm finds them.

Erin turns around to see Carm hurrying towards them.

“Here we are.” Erin smiles.

“What have you been doing?” Carm asks quickly.

“Uh-“ Erin doesn’t want to lie but doesn’t want to tell Carm the truth about where they just were.

“Nevermind.” Carm reminders how she left them when she left the bedroom. She’d rather not know.

They are thinking two completely different things.

“It’s nearly time for dinner.” Carm changes the subject.

“Good. I’m starving.” Erin says with a smile.

Carm laughs. “Weren’t you starving at lunch? How can you always be starving?”

Ella smiles over at Erin. She knows why Erin is probably starving because she’s starving too.

Erin shrugs. “I just am.”

Carm shakes her head and walks off towards the dining room. Erin and Ella follow behind her sharing knowing smiles with each other as they go.

* * *

 

“Hey, Ella?” Erin says in a whisper.

“Yeah.” Ella turns around to face Erin. “What is it?” She can see the worry on Erin’s face.

Erin has her new clothes on and she’s looking at herself in the mirror. She feels funny wearing these fancy clothes but she will admit that she likes the look of them. But something still seems off. She hasn’t been wearing a cap since she’s gotten her new clothes a few days ago and her hair hangs awkwardly just above the shoulder.

“Do you think I should get a haircut?” Erin asks.

Ella walks across the room, approaching Erin from behind. She wraps her arms around Erin and leans into her body. “Why do you ask?”

Erin shrugs. “I don’t know. It just- I’m supposed to be-“ She fails to explain what she’s thinking.

“Erin.” Ella rests her chin on Erin’s shoulder. “It doesn’t matter to me. I want you to be the one to decide what your hairstyle is. I want you to be you. I don’t want you to have to feel like you have to wear your hair a certain way to fit in or to live up to some standard.” She ends by pressing her lips to Erin’s shoulder.

Erin sighs, thankful. “I love you.” She spins around in Ella’s arms. “You always remind me of who I am and never let me do something silly that it will please others and not myself. Thank you.” She leans in and presses her lips to Ella’s.

Ella hums into the kiss. “I love you too. Now. Do you want your haircut?” Ella gets down to the important details.

“Maybe. But not a lot. Like just neaten it up.” Erin bites her lip.

“Okay. I’ll have it set up.” Ella says with a smile.

“Wait. Like you have someone to cut your hair? Like do it for you?” Erin asks.

“Yeah, silly.” Ella chuckles.

“Oh.” Erin ponders it for a moment.

“Why? Something wrong with that?” Ella questions.

Erin shakes her head. “I’ve just- always done it myself or had my mom do it. But when I- I’ve just done it myself. That’s all.”

“Well, I think it’s time for the soon to be King to get their hair cut properly.” Ella smiles. She’s so excited for Erin. For all of these things that she gets to do that she was never able to do before. “You deserve to be pampered and taken care of.” Ella leans in for a quick kiss before pulling away from Erin completely.

“And you do that for me.” Erin says happily.

“I’m hungry. Let’s go to lunch.” Ella holds out her hand. “Do you know where Carm is?”

Erin takes Ella’s hand. “No.”

“Oh well, we will have to survive somehow without her.” Ella jokes and Erin laughs. They are both very capable of getting their own lunch.


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The final chapter

Queen Anne runs around the castle planning for the big event. She has spoken to just about everyone in the castle and has them all doing something in preparation for the wedding. All with Ella’s blessing, of course. The Queen runs everything by Ella before setting any plans in stone. She is really enjoying the planning and Queen Anne feels like it’s the best thing for her right now in the wake of her husband’s death. It gives her something to do, to keep busy. Something to keep her mind occupied and focused on. It’s the best medicine currently.

The wedding also gives Queen Anne something to look forward to. A wedding is a celebration and she is excited about that. She’s excited that her only daughter, only child, is getting married. Sure, she wasn’t too keen on Erin at first but the Queen has come around. After recent events, the Queen thinks rather highly of Erin and knows that her daughter will be protected, and taken care of, and loved. And that’s all she really wants.

* * *

 

“I think I’m going to serve Richard his punishment. I know what it should be.” Ella says casually as she and Erin get ready for their day.

“Oh, what’s that?” Carm asks with intrigue.

“I can’t say. But, you’ll find out. I need to call the royal court in. I will have Richard hauled into court and I will do it there. In front of everyone who knew and loved my father. It will be good for all of us. A sense of closure, I hope.” Ella sits at her vanity and stares at herself in the mirror. The solemn look on her face is one she doesn’t like. She wants to be happy and joyful. She’s getting married in a few days. She should be happy.

Erin comes up behind Ella. She puts her hands on each of Ella’s shoulders and gives them a squeeze. Ella meets Erin’s eyes in the mirror. Ella smiles, tight-lipped. “I’m sure everyone will appreciate how you want to do this.” Erin gives Ella a little boost of confidence. She knows that Ella wants to make the punishment right and she wants to do it in the right way that it will help, not only herself, but those closest to her father.

“Thanks.” Ella nods.

“What do you say we go get some breakfast?” Erin asks. She knows Ella is nearly ready to go down to the dining room.

Ella just needs to brush her hair before they can go. She picks up the brush and holds it over her right shoulder. Erin smiles at Ella in the mirror and takes hold of the brush. Erin takes the brush and gently starts at the crown of Ella’s head and pulls the bristles slowly through the hair all the way to the ends.

“Okay, all done.” Erin says when she is finished. She leans forward, leaning over Ella’s shoulder. She sets the brush down; but before leaning back Erin pauses near Ella’s face and presses her lips quickly to Ella’s cheek.

* * *

 

It’s the day before the wedding. Ella has the entire royal court assembled. It was rather good timing with the wedding happening the next day. She sits at the head of the room with Simon at her side. She looks out over the members. She spots the extra guest that is sitting in the back of the room. They share a smile and it gives Ella the boost that she needs.

Ella takes a deep breath and stands up. She looks over to Francis, who is standing at the door. She nods and he nods back in response. They had discussed how this was going to go down at breakfast.

Francis steps to the side and opens the door. On the other side is Richard, in shackles. Two guards stand behind him. Each with a hand around his upper arms. The guards push him forward into the room. Richard moves with an annoyed grunt. He looks to his left when he enters the room and sees the group of men assembled there. Richard then looks to his right and sees Ella and Simon. He rolls his eyes and scoffs. He directs his attention to royal court again. This time spotting the extra person in the room. Erin in her new clothes, looking proper and not at all like a servant. Richard’s blood boils. He really can’t believe that Ella chose that lowlife over himself. It’s so ridiculous to him.

The guards spin Richard so that he stands facing the front of the room. Ella is slightly off to his left.

Ella clears her throat and gets ready to make her speech. “As you all know, before me stands the man who is responsible for my father’s death. He may not have been the one with the knife in his hand that did the dirty work but he is the one who ordered the heinous act.” Ella addresses the court. “And by no means is the man who committed the murder going to go unpunished. He has already been served his sentence. But now, it’s your turn.” Ella speaks to Richard. She points her finger in his direction as she continues.

“You, Richard, are a disgusting excuse for a man. And I’m not just talking about what you did to my father. I’m talking about what you did to me. You are a disrespectful, sad, little man. I feel sorry for you and how pathetic you are.” Ella pauses and looks out to the court once more.

“That being said, time to dole out your punishment. I considered sentencing you to death but decided against that. I don’t want to be responsible for taking a life. Like Richard here is. So I’ve decided to instead sentence you to spend the rest of your life in our jail here at the castle.”

Richard slumps in his spot. Part of him knew there was no way of getting out of this. And the other part just hoped for an easy punishment.

“You will be spending your remaining days, however many they will be, under the charge of this castle, this government. I would hope that it will give you some time to think about what you did and maybe have some remorse for your actions. But, somehow, I doubt that will happen. Either way, your punishment remains the same. Life in custody of my guards, spending your days sitting in a damp, dark cell in the cellar.” Ella spins around when she is finished speaking and returns to her seat.

That’s Francis’s que. He snaps his fingers and his men lead Richard out of the room and back to his cell. Francis follows behind them to make sure Richard returns to his cell securely.

Ella address the court once more. “That will be all for today. I hope everyone is satisfied with the punishment I handed down. Everyone get some rest. I expect to see all of you tomorrow with your party pants on.”

The royal court laughs at Ella’s joke and they start talking amongst themselves. Discussing the punishment and upcoming wedding, and other mundane things.

Ella makes a beeline for the back of the room. “How did I do?”

Erin pulls Ella in for a hug. “Great. Just perfect.”

Ella breathes a sigh of relief. “Good. Let’s get out of here. I think I need a nap.”

“Ohhh. I can help with that.” Erin’s game for anything that involves their bed.

* * *

 

Erin stands at the front of the room in her best, newest clothes. The only other person standing with her is Simon. He stands to Erin’s right. Erin looks out over the room. It’s packed full with bodies. Erin almost can’t believe it. She knows that some of the people in the room are required to be there. But she finds it hard to believe that all the people in the room are there to see her. To see her and Ella. To see them get married.

The music starts and everyone in the room stands and turns to the back of the room. Ella steps into the room and the ohs and ahs sound from the guests at her appearance. She smiles nervously at the crowd. She doesn’t like all the eyes on her.

Erin’s lips curl at the sides as Ella starts up the row towards her. She rocks back and forth nervously on her feet. Erin can’t believe that this is actually happening. She has a hard time thinking that she’s about to marry the Queen and become King.

Ella gets closer and closer to Erin. And the closer she gets the less nervous she feels. Ella focuses in on Erin and tunes everyone else out. It’s just her and Erin in this moment. Nobody else matters.

Ella stops when she reaches Erin. Erin holds out her hands for Ella to take. Ella looks down at Erin’s hand, connecting their hands, and then brings her eyes back to Erin’s. “Hi.” Ella whispers.

“Hey.” Erin smiles.

The ceremony goes quickly and Erin doesn’t register most of what is happening. The words that Simon speaks go in one ear and out the other. Erin’s main focus is on Ella in front of her. Erin repeats the words that Simon asks her to repeat. And then Ella does the same.

“There’s only one thing remaining to do before you are considered married.” Simon says. He looks between Erin and Ella. “Seal this union with a kiss.” He smirks.

Ella squeezes Erin’s hands and leans forward. Erin meets Ella halfway for a soft kiss.

The crowd rises and cheers around them.

They both look to Simon after the kiss. “That’s it. You’re married.” Simon claps his hands together. The rest of the crowd claps along. Ella blushes at the attention. She tugs on Erin’s hand and pulls them away from the front of the room. They walk through the crowd to the back of the room, to the exit.

* * *

 

A dinner and reception follow in the Great Hall. A party. Ella is more than pleased with the planning that her mother has put into the wedding and all of its events. Everyone is in a happy mood. From the royal court, to the newly married couple, to the castle servants.

Erin sits back in her chair as her wife dances with some of the party guests. She’s the happiest she’s ever been. She knows that her life doesn’t get much better than this. She takes in the scene around herself. She wants to remember everything she can about this day, about her wedding day for the rest of her life.

Ella dances over to Erin and reaches for her hand. Erin smiles up at Ella and allows herself to be pulled up and onto the dance floor. They dance closely as the band plays a slow song. Ella rests her head on Erin’s shoulder about halfway through the song.

“How was your day?” Erin whispers into Ella’s ear.

Ella lifts her head and locks eyes with Erin. “Perfect.” She seals her word with a kiss. “I love you.” She says and lays her head back on Erin’s shoulder.

“I love you, too, El. So very much.” Erin says quietly. They dance out the rest of the song before Ella guides them off the dance floor. She doesn’t lead them back to their table but instead out of the Great Hall and up the stairs.

* * *

 

They return, hand in hand, to their room. Erin goes over to the dresser and pulls a wrap item out of the top drawer. She turns to Ella and holds the item out for her. She wants to do this now before they get wrapped up in other things.

“What’s this?” Ella asks.

“It’s for you.” Erin replies.

“Yeah, but what is it?” Ella asks.

“Just open it, silly.” Erin grins. Ella is so goofy sometimes.

Erin holds the item out until Ella takes it from her hand. She slowly pulls the ribbon, that holds the fabric together, loose. The fabric falls open and Ella removes the item from it. “It’s beautiful.”

“You think so?” Erin asks skeptically.

“I do.” Ella looks up into Erin’s eyes. A thought crosses her mind at the look she finds on Erin’s face. “Did you-?”

Erin nods.

Ella inspect the piece of wood in her hands closer.

“I didn’t know what to do. But I wanted to do something for you. For, like, a present. For our wedding. So I made that.” Erin says shyly and somewhat awkwardly.

“You did this just for the wedding? When did you have time?” Ella locks eyes with Erin once again.

“Honestly, I started that when I first arrived at the castle. When I got my work assignment. Ben has all this cool stuff in the shed. He let me have the wood and I whittled that. I didn’t really know anyone here when I first arrived. So this is what I did in my spare time. My dad showed me how to whittle when I was little. I’m not very good at it but I managed to do that.” Erin admits.

Ella stands up on her tiptoes. She wraps her left hand around the back of Erin’s neck and kisses Erin. The fact that Erin made this, and made this for her, and that her dad is the one who showed her how, blows Ella away. “This is amazing. Thank you.” Ella holds the whittled lions head to her chest. This is something she will cherish forever. “How’d you know what a lion looks like?” Ella asks. They don’t have lions where they live. Ella’s heard about them and seen drawings of them in books. But there are no lions around the castle.

“My dad had a wooden lion statue when I little. It’s the only thing that I could think of that would be easy enough for me to whittle without screwing up.”

Ella chuckles. “I love it.” She says and kisses Erin again. “What do you say we go to bed?” Ella winks.

“Sounds perfect, my wife.” Erin grins boldly. She holds out her hand for Ella to take. Ella takes it and Erin lead her over to the bed.

Ella sets the lion head on the bedside table and turns her back to Erin, pointing over her shoulder. “Untie me.”

Erin does as she’s told. She unties Ella’s wedding dress gently. Inch by inch the skin of Ella’s back in exposed. Erin presses kisses to the freshly uncovered skin until she gets it completely untied. Erin helps Ella out of her dress and helps her unto the bed, quickly following after Ella and removing her clothes as she goes.

* * *

-the end


End file.
